During a drug bust in New Zealand, Baltej Singh, nephew of Satwant Singh, one of Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassins, was arrested. The raid took place in Manukau where police raided a property and found substantial amounts of methamphetamine hidden in beer cans. The ensuing investigation led to Baltej Singh. He is well known in the local community for his relation to Satwant Singh.
Satwant Singh, along with Beant Singh, had assassinated Indira Gandhi following Operation Bluestar, despite being her body guards. Satwant Singh’s brother and his family moved to New Zealand and were running a grocery store until recently, when they came into money suddenly. Baltej’s father acquired a real estate firm and even bought a very expensive house.
1 Lawyer and 2 others arrested for helping Amritpal escape custody
Baltej is known to have been the primary funder of most pro-Khalistan processions in the area and is now under arrest on the charges of drug peddling. His involvement in this particular case has brought into question the motivations of the pro-Khalistan movement in foreign countries. While Indian authorities are still trying to capture Waris Punjab de leader Amritpal Singh, this incident highlights the international roots of the issue.
As protests in countries like UK, USA and Canada have targeted Indian embassies, cases of vandalism by pro-Khalistan separatists have come up. The arrest of Baltej Singh might raise questions about the fortunes behind this international movement.