Not clear if threat is for extortion of money, sale of spurious liquor or closing liquor vends
CHANDIGARH: Harvinder Singh Rinda, a gangster turned Khalistani terrorist, living abroad and wanted by NIA and Punjab Police today in an audio message has issued a death threat to the Liquor contractors of Punjab, their staff, the excise officials and policemen accompanying them.
Rinda has said that he had ordered to hurl grenade at Nawanshahr vend and said that in future he would not issue any warning. He threatened that he would kill the liquor contractors, their staff on vends, the excise officials and policemen accompanying them. He told the contractors not to spoil Punjab. He said that it was his last warning and they will be shot dead when and where they are traced. He said that only news will come that so and so contractor is killed and vend is blasted.
Though there is no authentication of audio message viral on social media but intelligence agencies have been probing the audio clip. Rinda in his message has not clarified if he was issuing threats for extortion of money from contractors, to stop sale of spurious liquor on vends or to close down the vends in the state.
The threat if it is genuine may create a big challenge for the security forces and major threat to the liquor trade. Rinda had earlier too issued such threats. He is a wanted terrorist with a award of Rs.10 lakh on his head announced by National Investigating agency.
He is reportedly hiding in Pakistan. In November 2022, the unconfirmed reports from Pakistan had said that Rinda had died due to drug overdose in military hospital in Lahore. He is considered a link between terrorists and Narco smugglers.
As per his crime profile, Rinda was about 35 years old and had migrated to Nanded from Sarhali village, Tarn Taran district, many years ago. He was also involved and wanted in many cases by the police forces of Maharashtra, Chandigarh, Haryana, West Bengal, etc., besides large-scale cross-border smuggling of drugs/weapons. NIA has classified him as a major threat to the national security.
His first crime was reported in 2008 when he murdered one Partap Singh due to personal enmity in Tarn Taran. He was convicted of life imprisonment in the case and was incarcerated in different jails of Punjab. In 2013, he attacked Jail staff in Sangrur and later an Assistant Superintendent of Patiala jail. In October, 2014 he was released on bail from Nabha jail. He later went to Pakistan.