7th accused identified by cops, to be arrested today

AMRITSAR: Police will arrest the seventh accused of the Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) terror module, which was busted on Sunday.

A senior police official privy to the development said Shubdeep Singh, a resident of Chicha Bhakna village in Amritsar district, accompanied other members of the KZF module arrested on Sunday who received arms and ammunition dropped by drones in a Tarn Taran village.

Shubdeep was arrested by the organised crime control unit (OCCU) of Punjab Police earlier this week (couple of days after the recovery arms and ammunition from Rajoke village near India Pakistan border) in an Arms Act case.

“During interrogation of the terror module members, it came to the fore that Shubdeep also accompanied them to Rajoke village to receive arms and ammunition. Shubdeep had also suggested the location where the arms were to be dropped. He was recently arrested OCCU with the recovery of a pistol from his possession. We will arrest him in the terror module case on Friday,” said a police official involved in the investigation.

On Sunday, police arrested Balwant Singh, alias Baba, alias Nihang, Akashdeep Singh, alias Akash Randhawa, Harbhajan Singh and Balbir Singh from Chola Sahib village in Tarn Taran and recovered five AK-47 rifles, along with 16 magazines and 472 rounds of ammunition; four China made .30-bore pistols along with eight magazines and 72 rounds of ammunition; nine hand grenades, five Thuraya satellite phones along with ancillary equipment, two mobile phones, two wireless sets and ₹10 lakh in fake currency from them.

Preliminary investigations of the police had revealed that Maan Singh, lodged in Amritsar Jail in an Arms Act and UAPA case, at the behest of his handler Gurmeet Singh, alias Bagga, had recruited 20-year-old Akashdeep Singh, when they were lodged together in Amritsar jail.

On Wednesday, police had arrested Bagga’s brother Gurdev Singh, who allegedly introduced Maan Singh to Bagga in Amritsar jail and hatched the conspiracy of getting the arms and ammunition smuggled from Pakistan.

The five accused, including Gurdev, and Maan Singh, who was brought on production warrant, are in police custody till October 3.

The arms and ammunition were dropped by drones near a drain at Rajoke village between August 23 and September 12.

Meanwhile, a team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) visited rice shelling unit godown in Chabhal town of Tarn Taran district where the accused had burnt a drone that failed to fly back to Pakistan after dropping weapons in the Indian territory.

Police on Thursday launched a search operation in Dodechhapa canal in Chabhal town to locate parts of the drone which was burnt. Ten divers have been deployed to search the canal, said a police official.

SHUBDEEP SINGH OF CHICHA BHAKNA VILLAGE IN AMRITSAR WAS ARRESTED EARLIER THIS WEEK IN A SEPARATE CASE