NIA charges 22nd accused in Bishnoi-Babbar Khalsa nexus case over plot to carry out terrorist acts across India

New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has charge-sheeted one more accused in the 2022 terrorist-gangster nexus case involving the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and Babbar Khalsa International (BKI).

The case relates to a conspiracy hatched by the Bishnoi gang in association with the proscribed terrorist organisation BKI to spread terrorism in India, the agency said in a statement on Monday. In its fifth charge sheet filed before the NIA special court, the agency charged Rahul Sarkar with facilitating members of the Bishnoi gang in committing terrorist activities in India. Besides assisting the gang members in fleeing the country, Sarkar was allegedly involved in preparing and arranging forged identity documents, such as Aadhar cards, voter IDs and bank passbooks for them.

The accused further used the fake documents to help the gang members, including co-accused Sachin Bishnoi, fraudulently procure passports to escape the country and carry on with their terrorist activities, NIA investigations have revealed, the statement said.


Sarkar is the 22nd accused to be charge-sheeted so far in the case. Of these, 18 accused, including Sarkar, have been arrested while four are absconding.

The case was initially registered by the Delhi Police Special Cell on August 4, 2022. The NIA, which took over the investigation on August 26 that year, is continuing to probe the terrorist-gangster nexus in the case.