Mohali attack: Punjab Police had earlier sought to contact Interpol against ‘key conspirator’ Landa

“He is a close associate of gangster-turned-terrorist Harvinder Singh Rinda, who operates from Pakistan,” DGP said, adding Landa was the key handler, who provided the RPG, AK-47 and the local network of criminals for logistic support to carry out the attack at the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters.

The police said that Landa worked with Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), a banned pro-Khalistan outfit, and Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to execute the attack in Mohali.

Even after shifting base to Canada in 2017, Landa, a resident of Harike town in Tarn Taran, continues to plan murders and make ransom calls, the police said. He has more than a dozen cases registered against him under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and for kidnapping, murder and ransom, among others, in Tarn Taran, Moga, Ferozepur and Chandigarh.

The Punjab Police had earlier asked the Centre to approach Interpol against Landa and initiate proceedings for his extradition in the wake of a double murder case in Tarn Taran.

Following the murder of gangster Amandeep Singh alias Aman Fauji and his accomplice Prabhjit Singh in May last year, the police had alleged that the Congress leader and vice-president of Patti Truck Union, Malkit Singh – a close aide of the former Patti Congress MLA Harwinder Gill – had close relations with Landa.

According to the FIR, Landa had allegedly demanded a ransom of Rs 20 lakh from a Patti resident who had refused to pay the amount and had sought protection from Aman Fauji. Landa then allegedly hired gangster Preet Sekhon, through Malkit Singh, to murder Fauji. Malkit Singh is currently in jail facing trial for the murder.

So far, a Red Corner Notice against Landa has not appeared on the Interpol website, officers said.