Tarn Taran man who aided terror suspects rounded up
CHANDIGARH: A man from Tarn Taran district has been detained in connection with the explosion at the Punjab Police’s intelligence wing headquarters in Mohali, people familiar with the development said on Wednesday.
Jagrup Singh, a resident of Mehndipur village in the Khadoor Sahib region of the district, was detained after the investigating team got strong leads about role of some of the suspects rounded up by the police in providing the logistical help and arranging stay for the attackers in Patti, said a senior police officer, part of the probing team, requesting anonymity.
Jagrup Singh was lodged in Faridkot jail on murder charges and had come on parole a few days back, the official further added.
On Monday, a rocket-propelled grenade was fired at the third floor of the intelligence wing headquarters building at 7.45 pm, sending the state in a high alert mode.
There were reports of another Tarn Taran resident, Nishan Singh, being detained in this case. However, Faridkot police later clarified that he was arrested in a different case of smuggling of weapon.
“Faridkot police have found no
link of Nishan with the Mohali blast. Neither any higher authority nor agency has sought his custody from us so far,” superintendent of police (detective) Faridkot, Bal Krishan Singla said, adding that Nishan has been sent to fiveday police remand.
Earlier, the police said they have already rounded up several suspects for questioning.
CCTV footage emerges
On Wednesday, a CCTV footage of the RPG attack on the building Mohali’s Sector 77 also emerged, one of the people cited above said. In the footage, a car was seen moving on the road in front of the intelligence headquarters building.
On Tuesday, Punjab Police recovered the rocket launcher used in RPG attack. The Russianmade launcher was found in the bushes around 1km from the Intel Headquarters, an officer said, requesting anonymity, adding that RPG-22 with firing range of 700-metre was used in the attack.
Investigators, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they were focusing on the role of gangster-turned-Khalistani terrorist Harvinder Singh Rinda, who hails from Tarn Taran district and was wanted in at least 24 criminal cases in Punjab and Maharashtra, before he fled to Pakistan two years ago.
Role of local gang also under scanner
Senior police officials said preliminary probe suggested the attack was executed by members of a local gang active in Punjab and Haryana, at the behest of Rinda.
Soon after the attack, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann had promised strictest punishment to those trying to spoil the state’s atmosphere. Mann, who had held a meeting with the director general of police and other senior officials on Tuesday, had said nobody would be allowed to disturb the peaceful atmosphere of Punjab.
DGP K Bhawra had earlier said that a projectile had hit the building and the explosive used in it seems to be TNT (trinitrotoluene).