Punjab Police on Tuesday claimed to have busted a Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)-backed arms and explosives supply module in Amritsar, arresting six persons in two interconnected cases and foiling an alleged conspiracy to target police establishments in the border region.
Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said the operation had also led to a breakthrough in the investigation into an improvised explosive device (IED) blast near the Khasa Army Cantonment in May this year. Police recovered a hand grenade, a 9mm pistol and five live cartridges during the crackdown, while preliminary investigations pointed to alleged links between the accused, foreign-based smugglers and ISI operatives.
The arrests followed intelligence inputs about suspected operatives working with cross-border handlers to plan attacks on police buildings. Investigators are now examining the wider network, including the source of the weapons and explosives, the role of overseas handlers and the intended targets.
๐ง๐ต๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ฑ ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ฝ๐น๐ผ๐
According to the DGP, three persons arrested in connection with the alleged conspiracy to attack police establishments have been identified as Navdeep Singh, Samuel alias Samu and Sandeep Singh alias Tiddi, all residents of Moga district.
Inspector General of Police (IGP), Border Range, Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said Amritsar Rural Police acted on specific intelligence inputs shared by central agencies indicating that operatives linked to cross-border handlers were planning attacks on police infrastructure.
Acting on the information, police intercepted Navdeep Singh along with his associates Samuel and Sandeep. A search led to the recovery of a hand grenade, a 9mm pistol and five live cartridges from their possession.
Following the recovery, an FIR was registered at Gharinda police station on October 11 under relevant provisions of the Explosive Substances Act and the Arms Act. Police said the arrests had disrupted the suspected module before it could carry out the alleged attacks.
๐๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ผ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฏ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฑ
The crackdown also helped investigators establish a connection with the IED explosion near the boundary wall of Khasa Army Cantonment on the night of May 5, police said. Although the explosion had caused concern because of its proximity to a military installation, no injuries were reported.
A case was registered on May 6 at Gharinda police station under provisions of the Explosive Substances Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The investigation was subsequently entrusted to a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by Amritsar Rural Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kanwalpreet Singh Chahal.
Police identified the three persons allegedly involved in executing the blast as Ramandeep Singh, Jajpreet Singh and Arshdeep Singh alias Kekra, all residents of Attari in Amritsar district. Their arrests have enabled investigators to make progress in a case that had remained under investigation for more than five months.
๐ง๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ต๐ป๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐
SSP Chahal said police teams led by Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) in-charge Inspector Manmeet Singh and Gharinda Station House Officer Inspector Amandeep Singh apprehended Ramandeep, Jajpreet and Arshdeep following sustained investigation and technical surveillance.
The SIT had been examining evidence relating to the May explosion, including the suspected involvement of individuals operating in the border belt. The latest arrests, according to police, helped establish links between the earlier blast and the alleged arms and explosives supply network.
Investigators are continuing to examine the roles of the six arrested persons in the two cases and whether additional individuals were involved in transporting weapons, arranging explosives or coordinating instructions from outside India.
๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ด๐ป-๐ฏ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐น๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ
DGP Yadav said preliminary investigations had revealed alleged connections with foreign-based smugglers and operatives associated with Pakistan's ISI. Police are now working to establish the complete chain of command and determine how weapons and explosives were being supplied to the accused.
The investigation is focused on identifying both backward and forward linkages, including those responsible for arranging the weapons, facilitating their movement and coordinating the alleged plans to attack police establishments.
The police have not disclosed the identities of the suspected foreign-based handlers or provided further details about the specific police buildings believed to have been targeted.
Officials said the inquiry would continue to determine whether the two cases formed part of a wider cross-border network operating in Punjab's border districts.
The arrests come amid continuing efforts by Punjab Police and central agencies to detect suspected cross-border arms smuggling and prevent attacks on security installations. Investigators are expected to pursue further leads arising from the questioning of the accused and examination of technical evidence gathered in both cases.