Mohali RPG attack case: Delhi Court grants 5 days' custody of accused Vikas Singh to NIA

New Delhi [India], June 21 : Delhi's Patiala House Court on Wednesday granted five days' custody of the accused Vikas Singh to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), in a case related to the RPG attack at Intelligence Headquarters, Mohali in May 2022.
He was arrested on Tuesday in a case registered under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). The case also allegedly involves gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.
It is alleged that Vikas Singh harboured two of the executors of the RPG attack on Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali in May 2022.
NIA produced Singh, an alleged aide of Lawrence Bishnoi, before Patiala House Court.
Vacation judge Pawan Kumar granted five days' remand of Singh so that he could be interrogated for further leads in the case.
"Considering the facts and submissions, the court is of the considered view that custodial interrogation of the accused is required and accordingly, the application is allowed and the accused be sent to five days police custody," the court ordered.
The vacation judge directed the production of the accused before the court again on June 26, adding that he also has to be medically examined as the rules stipulate.
The NIA had sought 7 days' custody to interrogate him as part of its ongoing probe into his alleged role in the offence.
According to the plea filed on NIA's behalf, Vikas Singh also harboured other associates of Lawrence Bishnoi.
The Special Public Prosecutor (SPP), representing the NIA, argued that the accused was arrested after the strong inputs against him that he was also associated with the terror syndicate of Lawrence Bishnoi.
It further submitted that custodial interrogation of the accused is required to unearth the criminal conspiracy and his link with the co-accused.
Advocate Amit Sinha opposed the remand of the accused sought by the agency.
The court, after hearing both sets of submissions, noted that in this case, the NIA has already filed a charge sheet against 14 accused persons.
During further investigation, four accused persons connected with Lawrence Bishnoi's syndicate were arrested.
Further, over the course of the investigation, it was revealed that the accused, Vikas Singh, harboured two accused persons who executed the RPG attack on the Intelligence headquarters in Mohali in May 2022.
The accused is reported to have been involved in many criminal cases, including murder, Arms Act and Gangster Act cases, the court noted.
NIA said the investigation revealed further that Vikas Singh, a resident of Lucknow, had harboured Deepak Surakhpur and Divyanshu, a resident of Faizabad, who executed the RPG Attack on the Intelligence headquarters in Mohali in 2022.
Vikas has confessed to giving shelter to Deepak Surakhpur and Divyanshu at his house in Devgarh village, Ayodhya and at his flat in Gomti Nagar Vistar, Lucknow, many times, said the agency.
It added that its investigation also revealed that Vikas was introduced to Lawrence Bishnoi by Vicky Midhukhera, another associate and friend of the notorious gangster. Vikas introduced Divyanshu, already known to him, to the Lawrence Bishnoi syndicate. The duo was also involved in numerous target/contract killings, including that of businessman Sanjay Biyani in Nanded and Rana Kandhowalia in Punjab.
Vikas Singh also harboured another accused -- Rinku -- after the murder of Ranbir Singh alias Rana Kandowalia.
Further, after a double murder in Chandigarh (allegedly at the behest of Lawrence Bishnoi), Vikas is also alleged to have harboured the accused -- Monu Dagar, Pradhan, Cheema, and Rajan -- in Lucknow, the agency said.