- Pavittar Singh Batala, a Punjab gangster, was arrested by the FBI in the US in a kidnapping case
- Batala is linked to the banned Babbar Khalsa International terror group and wanted in India
- Eight suspects were arrested in San Joaquin County on charges including kidnapping and assault
Pavittar Singh Batala, a gangster from Punjab who is on the most wanted list of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), was arrested along with seven other Khalistani terrorists by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States in a gang-related kidnapping case. Batala is reportedly associated with the banned terror outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and is wanted in India for his alleged involvement in terror activities.
The arrests were made on Friday from different parts of the US in a case related to kidnapping and torture in San Joaquin County, according to the sheriff's office.
"On July 11, 2025, the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office AGNET Unit-alongside the Stockton Police Department SWAT Team, Manteca Police Department SWAT Team, Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office SWAT Team, and the FBI SWAT Team-executed five coordinated search warrants across San Joaquin County as part of a gang-related kidnapping and torture investigation," the sheriff's office said on Saturday.
Apart from Batala, other suspects were identified as Dilpreet Singh, Amritpal Singh, Arshpreet Singh, Manpreet Randhawa, Sarabjit Singh, Gurtaj Singh, and a man identified only as Vishal, who did not provide a last name.
All the accused were booked on multiple charges, including kidnapping, torture, wrongful confinement, intimidating or threatening a witness, assault with a semiautomatic firearm and making criminal threats and were sent to the San Joaquin County Jail.
They were also charged with possession of a machine gun and an unregistered loaded handgun, along with manufacturing and selling high-capacity magazines and a short-barrel rifle.
During the searches, officials reportedly seized at least six guns - including a fully automatic Glock - hundreds of rounds of ammunition, several high-capacity magazines and over $15,000 in cash.
The takedown was part of the FBI's Summer Heat initiative, a nationwide effort targeting violent offenders and gang members who terrorise US communities, according to the sheriff's office.
"Summer Heat reflects Director (Kash) Patel's commitment to the American people to crush crime and restore safety in neighbourhoods across the country," the police said in a social media post.
In recent years, several terrorists and gangsters from India -- including Goldy Brar, Anmol Bishnoi, and Rohit Godara-- have made the US and Canada their new hideout to escape legal actions back home. These notorious elements enter these North American nations illegally and continue their criminal activities in India and abroad from there.
