Three persons, including a woman, were arrested for allegedly painting pro-Khalistan graffiti at Jahangirpuri and Shastri Nagar Metro stations in Delhi, officials said on Sunday.
The accused have been identified as Sumeet (30), alias Raftar, a resident of Samalkha in Haryana’s Panipat district; Sumit Kumar (22), alias Kaka, from Gurdaspur in Punjab; and Gurpreet (22), a native of Hoshiarpur in Punjab.
According to the police, the graffiti was discovered near Gate No. 1 of Jahangirpuri Metro station on October 29 and on the inner staircase wall near Gate No. 2 of Shastri Nagar Metro station on October 30. The messages allegedly expressed support for the banned organisation Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) and its Khalistan agenda.
During the investigation, the Special Cell allegedly found that Sumit Kumar, a resident of Gurdaspur, was the main instigator and had recruited his two associates. The police said he had allegedly been radicalised by sympathisers of the SFJ and the Khalistan ideology from Ludhiana and Gurdaspur.
Investigators suspect that an SFJ-linked handler contacted Sumit through WhatsApp and asked him to install an encrypted messaging application to receive instructions. A member of the organisation allegedly shared graffiti templates with him and offered a substantial financial reward for carrying out the task at prominent Metro locations.
According to the police, Sumit subsequently roped in Gurpreet and Sumeet, who agreed to travel to Delhi.
The police said Sumeet allegedly painted the graffiti at Jahangirpuri Metro station, recorded a video of the act and shared it with his handlers. Sumit and Gurpreet allegedly carried out the act at Shastri Nagar Metro station during the intervening night of October 28 and 29.
The Special Cell took over the investigation following the registration of two FIRs at Metro police stations.
Technical analysis helped investigators trace Sumeet to Samalkha, following which he was apprehended. His interrogation allegedly led to the identification of the two other accused, who were subsequently arrested in Punjab.
The police said Sumit and Gurpreet had met around four years ago when she was working at a hotel in Samalkha. The two later started living together. Gurpreet had previously worked at a salon in Zirakpur and at hospitality establishments across Punjab and Haryana.
The police have also alleged that Sumit painted another graffiti near the GTK Bypass, which falls under the jurisdiction of Samaypur Badli police station, on October 30. This incident is being investigated separately.
Two FIRs — one at Metro Police Station Azadpur and another at Metro Police Station NSP — have been registered under Section 3 of the Delhi Prevention of Defacement of Public Property Act, 2007, and Section 62(2) of the Metro Railway (Operation and Maintenance) Act, 2002.
The police are now attempting to identify the alleged handlers and other members of the network who may have coordinated the activity and arranged the promised payments.
