Happy Passia, mastermind of 17 grenade attacks, kept cops on toes
Happy Passia, who was reportedly detained by US security agencies on Thursday, has been the biggest headache for the Punjab Police in recent months as he was the alleged mastermind of the 17 targeted grenade attacks in the state.
The police said Harpreet Singh, alias Happy Passia, a resident of Passia village in Ramdass (Amritsar), was a key member of the banned terror group Babbar Khalsa International (BKI). He is closely linked to Pakistan-based terrorist Harwinder Singh Sandhu, also called Rinda, who is supported by Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI.
Police sources revealed that Passia entered the world of crime after moving to the United States. They stated that he first drew the attention of the state police in September 2023 when a case was registered against him in the Ramdass area over extortion charge. Later, he joined forces with Rinda and became involved in several hand grenade attacks.
Passia and Rinda have been working together to spread terror and orchestrate extortion in Punjab, Maharashtra and other states. They targeted police stations, officers, liquor traders, businessmen and religious leaders to spread fear and disrupt communal peace. Both were reportedly following ISI’s instructions to cause unrest and weaken India’s internal security.
Since 2023, Passia and Rinda increased their terror activities in Punjab, including cases of arson, extortion and attacks on police offices.
The police also discovered that they recruited young people struggling with addiction, offering them money and drugs to carry out these crimes.
The NIA had also chargesheeted Passia along with his partner Rinda in a number of terror incidents, including the 2024 Chandigarh grenade attack case.
The grenade attacks in Punjab, including targeting police posts, religious sites and residences of public figures such as BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia, were part of a broader strategy to instil fear and undermine law enforcement.
In September last year, Passia orchestrated a grenade attack on a house in Sector 10, Chandigarh, targeting former Jalandhar SP Jaskirat Singh Chahal and his family. Investigations revealed that the attack was coordinated from the US through operatives under his command.
Another grenade attack at a constable’s house in Raimal village also bore Passia’s signature. He boldly claimed responsibility for the attack on the social media, directly taunting law enforcement agencies.
Passia, along with Rinda, played a pivotal role in setting up terror modules in Punjab. These modules were engaged in extortion, smuggling and violent attacks.
It is suspected that Passia’s network was involved in the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala in 2022, highlighting the nexus between Punjab gangs and international terror networks. He has consistently outmanoeuvred the police by using untraceable phones with varying country codes, making his location difficult to pinpoint.
Punjab