New Delhi, August 19, 2024 — The National Investigation Agency (NIA), in a joint operation with the Delhi Police Special Cell, has arrested a major arms supplier linked to the assassination of Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Vikas Prabhakar, also known as Vikas Bagga, in Punjab. The suspect, identified as Dharminder Kumar or Kunal, was apprehended on Sunday in Ludhiana, Punjab.
Dharminder, implicated in case RC-06/2024/NIA/DLI, was caught during a coordinated crackdown involving teams from the NIA and the Delhi Police Special Cell. He is now facing charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UA(P) Act), and the Arms Act.
Investigations by the NIA have revealed that Dharminder procured the illegal arms and ammunition from Madhya Pradesh and subsequently supplied them to the actual perpetrators on instructions from Harwinder Kumar or Sonu, a Khalistani terrorist based abroad. The shooters, Mandeep Kumar or Mangli, and Surinder Kumar or Rika, both residents of SBS Nagar, Punjab, were apprehended on April 16 and are currently under judicial custody.
The authorities are continuing their search for two other suspects, Harjit Singh or Ladhi and Kulveer Singh or Sidhu, both operatives of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI). They remain at large, with a reward of Rs. 10 lakh each offered for information leading to their capture.
Vikas Bagga, who served as the president of the Nangal unit of the VHP, was fatally shot at his confectionary shop in Nangal, Roopnagar district, on April 13, 2024. The NIA took over the investigation from the state police on May 9, 2024, in an effort to unravel the network behind the murder and bring all associated parties to justice.
