New Delhi [India], June 26 (ANI): As part of its ongoing investigation in the recent Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) linked grenade attack at the residence of former Punjab Minister Manoranjan Kalia, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday conducted a series of searches across the state as well as in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, the agency said.

NIA teams carried out searches at 18 locations in the three northern states this morning, and seized various incriminating materials, including mobiles and digital devices and documents.

As per the NIA, the searches were conducted at the premises of suspects linked with Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) operative Kulbir Sidhu, US-based gangster Manish alias Kaka Rana, and their nodes based in India and various other countries.

Kulbir Sidhu, originally from Yamunanagar in Haryana, is currently in Germany and is a key aide of designated terrorist and BKI chief, Pakistan-based Wadhawa Singh Babbar. Sidhu is also an accused in a case related to the murder of VHP leader Vikas Prabhakar in Nangal, Punjab, in April 2024.

The terror attack on the Punjab ex-minister's house in Jalandhar was committed on the night of April 7, 2025 by accused Saidul Ameen, who was arrested by the state police on April 12. This was one of the series of grenade attacks carried out by BKI operatives in the state of Punjab, on the directions of foreign-based handlers of the proscribed terrorist organisation.

While in Punjab, today's searches were carried out in Hoshiarpur, SBS Nagar, Jalandhar, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran and Mansa districts, in Haryana the NIA teams cracked down in the districts of Kurukshetra, Yamuna Nagar, Karnal and Ambala. Extensive searches were also conducted in Amroha district of Uttar Pradesh.

NIA, which took over the probe from Punjab Police on April 12, 2025, is continuing with its investigation in the case. (ANI)