Terror plot foiled, man held with grenades in Tarn Taran
The accused, a radicalised operative, had conducted recce of a few sensitive targets in Amritsar, Ludhiana, says DGP
TARN TARAN: Punjab Police recovered two hand-grenades from a man while patrolling Kakka Kandiala village, 4km from Tarn Taran, on Janmashtami night.
The accused, Saroop Singh of Johal Dhai Wala village in Goindwal Sahib sub-division, was arrested by a team led by Tarn Taran city station house officer (SHO) Jaswant Singh around 11pm on Monday. Saroop, who was a highly radicalised operative, had been linked with a foreign-based terror entity, said police, adding that their vigil has thwarted another possible terrorist attack in the border state.
The team intercepted Saroop, who was riding a motorcycle, near the village and searched him on suspicion, leading to the recovery of the two hand-grenades, a mobile phone, an Aadhaar card and a driving licence. “On the occasion of Krishna Janmashtami, we had increased vigil that led to the arrest,” said a senior police official, requesting anonymity.
Director general of police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta said that during preliminary investigations, Saroop has revealed that he came in contact with foreign-based terror handlers over social media and was further radicalised, cultivated by them and motivated to carry out terror acts in Punjab.
Saroop further disclosed that
his foreign based-handlers had arranged a consignment of two hand grenades for him, said the DGP, adding that the accused had already conducted recce of a few sensitive targets in
Amritsar and Ludhiana. A training video sent by his foreign handlers explaining how to successfully explode a handgrenade has also been recovered from the mobile phone of the accused, he said.
The DGP said preliminary investigations suggest that all these consignments are being sent from across the border by terror organisations for carrying out strikes in Punjab.
A case under Sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Explosives Substances (Amendment) Act has been registered against the accused at the Tarn Taran city police station.
The development came at a time when Punjab has been witnessing huge influx of grenades and Rdx-laden tiffin boxes, besides recovery of arms and ammunition, signalling major attempts being made by foreign-based terrorists to disturb peace in the border state.
On August 8, the Amritsar rural police had recovered five hand-grenades, along with a tiffin bomb from Daleke village in Lopoke. The state special operation cell, Amritsar, had on August 16 recovered two hand-grenades of the same make besides other weapons from Amritpal Singh and Shammi. Similarly, the Kapurthala police also recovered two hand-grenades, a tiffin bomb and other explosive material from Gurmukh Singh Brar and his associate from Phagwara on August 20.