Happy Passia Arrest | US | Sacramento: In a major breakthrough for Indian intelligence and law enforcement, Harpreet Singh, alias Happy Passia, one of India’s most wanted gangsters with alleged links to international terror networks, has been arrested in the United States. The fugitive, who carried a ₹5 lakh bounty declared by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), was apprehended by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Sacramento, California.
The arrest of Passia, long considered a key operative behind several terror attacks in Punjab, marks a major victory for Indian security agencies that have been on his trail for months.
FBI Confirms Arrest of Harpreet Singh
The FBI officially confirmed the development, stating: “Harpreet Singh, an alleged terrorist responsible for terror attacks in Punjab, India, was arrested by the FBI and ERO in Sacramento. Linked to two international terrorist groups, he entered the US illegally and used burner phones to evade capture.”
Following the arrest, images of Passia in US custody have surfaced, underlining the collaborative success between Indian intelligence services and American federal authorities.
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Links to Pakistan’s ISI and Babbar Khalsa International
Investigative agencies have alleged that Passia maintained deep operational ties with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and terror outfits like Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and the network of deceased Khalistani terrorist Harvinder Singh Rinda.
Passia had been under the scanner for orchestrating multiple acts of violence, including the January 2025 blast near the Gumtala police post in Amritsar, where a senior officer’s vehicle was destroyed in what is believed to have been a modified carburettor-based IED attack.
After the attack, Passia had claimed responsibility and even threatened to escalate violence, citing alleged police action against his family as justification for future strikes.
Denials and Death Threats
In the aftermath of the Amritsar attack, Passia denied involvement in a separate police encounter in Pilibhit, where three men from Gurdaspur were killed. He stated that those individuals were not associated with his gang, but this did little to stop his name from being linked to multiple terror and extortion rackets across Punjab.
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His arrest comes as both the Punjab Police and central intelligence agencies were intensifying their crackdown on gangster-terrorist syndicates — a growing nexus that has blurred the lines between organized crime and terrorism in India’s border states.
Diplomatic and Security Significance
Passia’s capture is being viewed not only as a criminal justice win but also as a strategic security milestone in India’s fight against cross-border terrorism. His known associations with ISI-backed networks and terror operatives have made him a crucial figure in ongoing investigations into Punjab’s terror ecosystem.
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It is expected that the Indian government will soon initiate diplomatic procedures for his extradition under the Indo-US Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT).
This high-profile arrest once again highlights the global dimensions of India’s battle against organized crime and terrorism, and the growing importance of international intelligence cooperation in tracking fugitives who exploit cross-border mobility and digital anonymity to evade justice.
