Five Arrested at Nepal Border Including US National and Wanted Man in Police Attack

Security forces in Uttar Pradesh have arrested five individuals, including a United States national and a man wanted for a 2023 attack on a police station in Punjab, for attempting to enter India illegally from Nepal. The operation was conducted jointly by the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and the Uttar Pradesh Police at the Rupaidiha border post in Bahraich district.

The two main suspects have been identified as Vikramjit Singh, who is wanted in connection with an attack on a police station in Punjab in 2023, and Manveer Singh Dhillon, a US national originally from Moga district in Punjab. According to Bahraich Superintendent of Police Vishwajeet Srivastava, both men are allegedly linked to the pro-Khalistan organization 'Waris Punjab De'. The other three arrested are Indian nationals: Suresh Kumar Pathak, Dilip Upadhyay (both residents of Rupaidiha town), and vehicle driver Rahul Kumar. They have been accused of facilitating the illegal entry of the two infiltrators.

'Waris Punjab De' was established as a social organisation by late actor-turned-activist Deep Sidhu in 2021. It has since gained prominence in Punjab's religio-political landscape, with some members facing charges related to violence and sedition. The Punjab Police has been searching for both Singh and Dhillon in separate cases. Preliminary questioning revealed that Singh had been evading arrest for several days, while Dhillon is suspected of entering India through Nepal without a visa to avoid law enforcement scrutiny.

A case has been registered under relevant provisions at the Rupaidiha police station, and all five are in custody. The arrests come shortly after another incident in Maharajganj district, where a 36-year-old man claiming to be a US citizen named Jordan Brown was detained by SSB while attempting to cross into Nepal without valid documents. Investigations are ongoing to ascertain the full extent of the infiltration network.