Babbar Khalsa arrest: Firm owner says he had checked all details before hiring the suspect, nothing came up

Identity cards that Jatinder Singh provided to Gill Enterprises

Jatinder Singh, alias Jyoti, the alleged terrorist who was recently apprehended at a Metro construction site in Mankhurd by the NIA, had worked as a crane operator at Metro sites in Delhi and Lucknow, according to sources. Jatinder is alleged to have ties to the Khalistani group Babbar Khalsa International (BKI). The new information came to light through his employer, Gill Enterprises, based in Kalamboli. The company had hired Singh to operate a crane at the Mankhurd Metro site, which is part of the Mumbai Metro Line 2B project awarded to Ahluwalia Contracts (India) Ltd.

Speaking to mid-day, Amarjeet Singh, the owner of Gill Enterprises, expressed concerns about the lack of proper background verification processes. "Nobody verifies the background of the person before hiring. I only checked his work experience, which showed he had previously worked on Metro projects in Delhi and Lucknow and the first phase of the Mumbai Metro Line 1 [from Ghatkopar to Versova]. He provided all the required identity cards and appeared to have experience operating cranes," Singh stated.

An undated photo of the alleged terrorist who officials said was instrumental in supplying weapons to Babbar Khalsa International militants

Singh further elaborated, "There were no complaints about his behaviour, and nobody at the site noticed anything suspicious about him. He used to focus on his work. He was introduced to me by someone in Kalamboli, who claimed to be his uncle. Since I knew this person, I checked all his details, including his driving licence and Aadhaar card, before hiring him. He was earning a salary of Rs 27,000 per month."

Contract suspended

Singh also revealed that his contract with Ahluwalia Contracts (India) Ltd had been suspended. The company had been hiring his crane for Metro construction work for the past few months, with the agreement set to expire in March next year. "What wrong have I done? My contract was suspended, and I was asked to remove my crane from the site by the manager of Ahluwalia. I asked them how many people working at the site were actually verified. Just because somebody got arrested, I am now suffering for no fault of mine. This is going to cost me around Rs 4 lakh to Rs 5 lakh, and now I need to find another site for work," Singh said.

Jatinder Singh's purported Aadhaar card

According to Singh, Jatinder had provided extensive details when he was hired, claiming to have worked with the Delhi Metro in 2016 and the Lucknow Metro as a crane operator. His resume also mentioned working on the Mumbai Metro project in 2008, likely during the Ghatkopar to Versova phase. "In addition to this, he produced ID cards and documentation of his employment with leading construction companies," Singh added.

Sources within the Mumbai police have stated that they are verifying Jatinder's profile and, so far, have not found any criminal history linked to him in Mumbai. Officials are also questioning individuals at the Metro car shed who were close to Jatinder or living with him to ensure they are not connected to any of his activities.

Singh was arrested by the NIA on Monday in connection with the Punjab terror conspiracy case involving the BKI. According to the NIA, Singh was a close associate of designated Khalistani terrorist Lakhbir Singh, alias Landa, and gangster Bachitar Singh, alias Pavitra Batala. He was allegedly involved in providing weapons to another accused in the case, identified as Baljit Singh, alias Rana Bhai, and had been absconding since July this year.