Khalistani terror suspect, US national held while entering India from Nepal

NEW DELHI: A wanted member of the pro-Khalistan outfit Waris Punjab De and a US national linked to the organisation were arrested while allegedly attempting to enter India from Nepal through the Indo-Nepal border in Uttar Pradesh’s Bahraich district, police said on Thursday. PTI reported.Bahraich Superintendent of Police Vishwajeet Srivastava said the arrests were made during a joint operation by the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and the Uttar Pradesh Police at the Rupaidiha border under the Rupaidiha police station area.The two men were identified as Vikramjit Singh, who is wanted in connection with a 2023 case registered at Ajnala police station in Punjab, and Manveer Singh Dhillon, a US national originally from Punjab’s Moga district.According to police, Vikramjit had been absconding in the Punjab case, while Dhillon is suspected to have entered Nepal before attempting to cross into India without a valid Indian visa in an effort to avoid the attention of law enforcement agencies. The duo was intercepted after crossing the Rupaidiha border post, where verification and questioning allegedly revealed their identities and links to Waris Punjab De.Police have registered a case against both men under relevant provisions at the Rupaidiha police station. Officials from multiple security and intelligence agencies also questioned the accused following their detention.Three Indian nationals were also arrested for allegedly facilitating the pair’s illegal entry into India. They were identified as Suresh Kumar Pathak and Dilip Upadhyay, both residents of Rupaidiha town, and Rahul Kumar, who was allegedly driving the vehicle arranged for the two men.The arrests come just weeks after another US national, Jordan Brown, was detained near the India-Nepal border in Maharajganj while allegedly attempting to cross into Nepal without valid travel documents.