How Happy Pasia Made It Big In World Of Crime, Became Khalistani Terrorist

Harpreet Singh, alias Happy Pasia, smuggled liquor in his younger days, but his ambitions knew no bounds. Aspiring to make it big in the criminal world, he befriended the world's worst, including terrorists and gangsters. As years went by and his stature in the global terror networks improved, Pasia emerged as a terrorist and an expert in grenade attacks, splashing blood on the streets of Punjab.

Pasia was arrested in the US in April as part of the crackdown on illegal immigrants. He is now being brought to India, sources told NDTV.

Who is Happy Pasia?

Pasia is a Khalistani terrorist wanted in India in at least 16 recent terror incidents. He belongs to Pasia, a village in Punjab close to the International border with Pakistan, where his house remains locked. He studied till Class 10. His late father was a truck driver, while his mother and sister were arrested last November over suspicion that they were aware of the attacks on Punjab Police.

It is said that the terrorist is so dreaded that people often choose to stay away from the area where his house is located. Once, after a policeman had visited his house, Pasia had carried out a grenade attack at the cop's house.

Dreams Of A Gangster

Pasia engaged in liquor and drug smuggling in his initial days of crime. During this period, he came in touch with Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, a known gangster who lived near his village. In 2018, he went to Dubai where he met some criminals from Pakistan.

He continued his crime spree after returning next year but his ambitions were bigger. He aspiration to become a big gangster made him join the Bhagwanpuria gang, after which he carried out several crimes in Punjab.

In the meantime, he landed a UK student visa. During his UK visit, he met several Khalistani terrorists. In 2021, he reached the US via the donkey route and started living with Bhagwanpuria's henchmen Dharman Kahlon and Amrit Bal.

"He started his criminal career with Bhagwanpuria and then continued his criminal activities with the US-based Kalu and Amritlal. After that, he came into contact with Pakistan's Harvinder Rinda and created a terror network at the behest of ISI," said Gaurav Yadav, Director General of Police (DGP), Punjab.

Pasia's Terror Activities

As he transitioned from a petty gangster to a terrorist, Pasia moved on from plotting petty crimes to deadly terrorist acts. He met Harinder Singh Rinda, a Khalistani terrorist from Pakistan, in the US and became an active member of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), which is banned in India.

Rinda later connected Pasia with the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and key figures in the international terror network. Using these contacts, a fearless Pasia continued spreading terror across Punjab.

With the help of ISI, Rinda and Pasia set up an extortion network spanning multiple states, including Punjab and Maharashtra. In an attempt to spread terror, he targeted police institutions, officers, liquor contractors, businessmen, and even social and religious leaders.

In 2023, Pasia became a commander in BKI.

Later in August, Punjab Police exposed the Rinda-Pasia alliance and foiled many of their terror plots. But that didn't stop him. Rather, it made him more aggressive. He soon started plotting more attacks in Punjab at the behest of the ISI and the BKI.

"From September 2024, Pasia's focus shifted directly to the Punjab Police. He started directly challenging Punjab Police by carrying out attacks one after another on police posts, police stations, and police institutions in Punjab," said DGP Yadav.