Harwinder Kumar, known in intelligence circles as Sonu, walked out of the arrivals terminal at Indira Gandhi International Airport on October 1 with handcuffs already clinking against his wrists. His journey to Indian soil wasn't voluntary; it was the result of a high-stakes diplomatic tug-of-war with Abu Dhabi that finally snapped in his favor. NIA officials, who had tracked his movements across the Gulf for months, moved immediately to seize him. He was produced before the Special NIA Court later that day, marking the latest crack in the Babbar Khalsa International’s (BKI) external support network.
The charge sheet paints a picture of a financial hub, not just a passive observer. Investigators allege Kumar did more than just wire money. He acted as a recruiter and handler, coordinating with operatives on the ground in Punjab while sitting comfortably in the UAE. The target was clear: VHP leader Vikas Prabhakar, who was gunned down in Roopnagar district on April 13, 2024. Kumar’s role was to keep the gears turning—providing logistical support and moving terror funds on the specific instructions of Harjit Singh alias Laddi and Kulbeer Singh alias Sidhu, the two Germany-based masterminds currently at large.
This arrest isn't an isolated incident; it’s part of a tightening noose. Just weeks prior, on August 13, the NIA nabbed Manveer Ram at Amritsar Airport. Ram, also UAE-based, allegedly supplied the weapons used in the Prabhakar killing. With three chargesheets already filed, the agency is systematically dismantling the conspiracy piece by piece. The case, registered in May 2024, has shifted from a local murder inquiry to a cross-border terror probe involving Germany, the UAE, and India.
The next move belongs to the Special NIA Court, which will determine the terms of Kumar’s judicial custody. But the real race is against time to catch Laddi and Sidhu before they can relocate again. For the victims' families in Roopnagar, this arrest is a small step toward justice, but the hunt for the brains behind the plot continues.