Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, Punjab – An early morning encounter on Tuesday in Behram area between police and gangster Sonu alias Kali exposed a deeper terror-criminal nexus involving Pakistan-backed Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Sonu, a resident of Alamgir in Kapurthala, was arrested along with associates Jitendra Chaudhary alias Ritik, Sanjay, and three minors from Jaipur in a joint operation by Punjab Police’s Counter Intelligence, SBS Nagar police, and Jaipur police.
According to officials, Sonu opened fire on police with a pistol when weapons were recovered during the arrest, prompting retaliatory fire that struck him in the leg. He was shifted to hospital for treatment. Sonu is accused in last month’s hand grenade attack in Nawanshahr and was wanted in multiple criminal cases, including a July 7, 2025 grenade blast outside a liquor shop in Jalandhar. Police recovered an 86P hand grenade, a .30 bore pistol, two live cartridges, and two empty shells from the accused.
Investigations revealed the gang was working under the instructions of Pakistan-based BKI operative Harvinder Rinda, through handlers Manu Agwan, Gopi Nawansharia, and Zeeshan Akhtar. Zeeshan, a Canada-based gangster who had earlier claimed responsibility for the murder of Mumbai politician Baba Siddique, coordinated with Pakistani gangster Shehzad Bhatti and others to carry out blasts in Punjab by luring local youths with money.
Rajasthan ADG Crime Dinesh MN confirmed Punjab Police had alerted them after the grenade blast, prompting a search in Jaipur and Ajmer ranges. Six suspects were eventually apprehended from Jaipur city and Tonk’s criminal hotspots and handed over to Punjab’s Special Operations Cell.
Police said the arrested suspects were linked to Zeeshan via Instagram and other online apps. Zeeshan had supplied them with grenades used in the Nawanshahr and Jalandhar blasts. He had also instructed them to execute major attacks around August 15 in Delhi and Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.
This coordinated crackdown, officials said, has not only led to the capture of a key Lawrence gang shooter but also dismantled an active ISI-backed terror module operating across state lines.