Sukhmeet Pal Singh aka Sukh Bikhariwal started his entry in the crime world as a drug trafficker in 2012 but within eight years he rose to become one of India’s most wanted. On Monday, a special cell busted a terror module and arrested five persons. Two of them, Gurjeet Singh and Sukhdeep Pal Singh were involved in the murder of Shaurya Chakra winner Balwinder Singh in October.

Their interrogation revealed that Bikhariwal gave instructions to kill Balwinder Singh, a prominent voice against radical and terror outfits in Punjab.

Sometime in late 2017, Bikhariwal escaped India with the help of Pakistan’s ISI. For three years, he was hiding in the UAE. Post the arrest of his two aides in Delhi, Indian authorities have successfully convinced their counterparts to detain him. “We are trying to bring him back to India where he has been declared a proclaimed offender by courts in several criminal cases,” said a senior officer in the counterintelligence unit.

Bikhariwal has 13 criminal cases registered in Punjab including over six cases of murder and attempts to murder. He also has links with drug traffickers in Pakistan.

Once he fled India, ISI asked him to use his network to carry out the targetted killing of RSS leaders and those who are against radical outfits. “Bikhariwal is a classic example of how a local criminal has morphed into a terrorist. Till 2017 he had no association with any terrorist outfits,” he added.

Top officials in Indian security establishment have said that India will soon start Bikhariwal deportation from the UAE.

The Delhi police’s special cell carried out an eighteen-month long operation which led to the arrest of five terror suspects.

Top sources in the Indian intelligence say that Pakistan’s ISI has now been using over ground workers of Kashmir and local criminals of Punjab to carry out targeted high-value killings in Punjab, and Bhikhariwal was leading this module.

Sources say that Bhikhariwal left India with the help of his Pakistani handlers and moved around in different Gulf countries. He was recently operating from UAE. The ISI gave him target to tab the local criminals from Punjab for the targeted killings of Anti-Khalistan voices.

Bhikhariwal , a wanted gangster from Punjab ahs been involved in murder, attempt to murder, shoot out in gang war, theft , NDPS and Arms Act cases. His last involvement was found in an attempt to murder case registered at Tibber police station in Punjab.

Central intelligence agencies have said that ISI is now specifically using local criminals and radical elements to carry out small but high impact terror activities.

To leave no trace, the terrorists are using social media apps like discord. “They are not even using telegram and signal to chat but discord,” said a source.

Security agencies hope that detention of Bikhariwal will be a big jolt for ISI who wants terror groups to be revived in Punjab.