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.