5th man charged for conspiracy to kill Hindu priest in Punjab's Jalandhar

PTI

New Delhi, September 24

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a supplementary chargesheet against an accused in a case related to the conspiracy by Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) terrorists to kill a Hindu priest in Punjab’s Jalandhar last year.

Gagandeep Singh alias Gaggu, a resident of Sangatpura Mohalla in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut, is the fifth person charged by the NIA in a special court in Punjab after taking over the investigation of the case on October 8 last year.

The agency had filed chargesheet against four accused -- Canada-based chief of KTF Hardeep Singh Nijjar, his close associate Arshdeep Singh alias Prabh, Kamaljeet Sharma and Ram Singh alias Sona -- on July 4.

On July 22, the NIA had announced a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh for information leading to arrest of Nijjar.

"Investigations have revealed that the entire conspiracy was hatched by accused Nijjar and Arshdeep, both based in Canada, to disturb peace and disrupt the communal harmony (in Punjab).

"The target attack was executed by the members of terror gang with the weapons supplied by accused Gagandeep on the directions of Arshdeep,” a spokesperson of the NIA said.

The priest, Kamaldeep Sharma, was shot at and critically injured in Jalandhar on January 31 last year.