Chandigarh/Washington, April 18: Harpreet Singh, alias Happy Passia, reportedly detained by U.S. agencies on Thursday, had long been a major concern for Punjab Police, with investigators linking him to at least 16 grenade attacks across the state.
A native of Passia village in Ajnala, Passia has allegedly been the operational brain behind a series of high-profile attacks on police stations, religious sites, and political figures. Among the targets was former BJP minister Manoranjan Kalia.
"He remained one of our most-wanted for over a year," a senior Punjab Police official said.
"His tactics and cross-border links made him exceptionally difficult to track."
Passia first surfaced prominently in the 2024 grenade attack in Chandigarh’s Sector 10, where a device was hurled at the residence of former Jalandhar SP Jaskirat Singh Chahal.
Investigations revealed that the strike was planned from the United States, coordinated by operatives under Passia’s remote direction.
A similar attack on a constable’s house in Raimal village also bore his signature. After the incident, Passia posted a video online, claiming responsibility and mocking Punjab Police for their failure to apprehend him.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had previously chargesheeted Passia in multiple terror cases, often naming him alongside Pakistan-based Harwinder Singh Rinda. “Together, the duo reportedly established armed modules across Punjab engaged in extortion, arms smuggling, and attacks.”
Law enforcement agencies have also suspected Passia’s broader network of having a hand in the 2022 killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, linking gangland violence to international terror operations.
Since entering the U.S. illegally in 2021 through a human trafficking ring, Passia exploited encrypted communication and rotating foreign SIM cards to evade surveillance. "His use of digital anonymity made it nearly impossible to track him in real time," said an officer involved in the investigation.
With his reported detention abroad, officials are now hoping for cooperation from U.S. authorities to bring him to trial in India.