Punjab Police bust pro-Khalistan terrorist module

Averting a major terror incident in the state, the Punjab Police has busted yet another pro-Khalistan terrorist module, with the arrest of two persons allegedly operating in connivance with five criminals, including a KZF operative currently languishing in Amritsar jail.

The Pakistan-backed module was busted on the basis of inputs about the nefarious designs of certain pro-Khalistan elements trying to disturb peace and harmony in the state by launching terror attacks, said Director General of Police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta.

Gupta said following the inputs, the Punjab Police had launched a drive to ensure thorough frisking and checking of all those entering the state from various parts of the country, thus leading to the arrest of Harjeet Singh and Shamsher Singh, both residents of the Mianpur village in Tarn Taran district.

Six sophisticated weapons (one 9 mm pistol, four .32 calibre pistols and one .32 revolver), eight rounds of ammunition, several mobile phones and an internet dongle were seized from the duo. They were nabbed at the checkpost near Hotel Jashan on the Rajpura-Sirhind road by a police party comprising ASI Gurdarshan Singh, Head Constable Jora Singh and Home Guard Pritpal Singh.

During the preliminary investigation, the accused revealed that they received four weapons from Burhanpur in Madhya Pradesh, and two were received from Safidon Jind district in Haryana, according to the DGP.

He said the duo is also wanted in an attempt to murder and the Arms Act case registered in Tarn Taran district.

Initial investigations have further revealed that the two men were planning a major terror attack in Punjab in connivance with five criminals, Shubhdeep Singh, now lodged in Amritsar Jail; Amritpal Singh Baath, wanted in 12 cases of murder, attempt to murder, Arms Act in Tarn Taran and Amritsar Rural districts; Randeep Singh, wanted in drug cases in Amritsar, along with Goldy and Ashu, both from Karnal in Haryana.

Sharing details about Shubhdeep Singh, the DGP said he was an active militant of Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF), who was arrested by the Punjab Police in September 2019 with the recovery of a China-made drone from Amritsar district.

In April last year, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had filed a chargesheet against him along with eight others.