4 Punjab gangsters held with explosives in Karnal
Two of the four arrested accused have several criminal cases registered against them across Punjab, say police
KARNAL: Four Punjab-based gangsters having links with a Khalistani terrorist were arrested and improvised explosive devices (IEDS), arms and ammunition were recovered from their vehicle at a toll plaza in Haryana’s Karnal on Thursday, police said.
The four gangsters were reportedly on their way to Telangana to deliver the explosives and arms when they were arrested, police added.
Acting on inputs from the Intelligence Bureau and the Punjab Police, the Haryana Police intercepted the vehicle of the accused at Bastara toll plaza, along the Ambala-delhi National Highway, at 5am on Thursday, Panipat superintendent of police (SP) Ganga Ram Punia said.
A pistol, 30 cartridges, three IEDS weighing 2.5kg each and ₹1.3 lakh cash were recovered from the vehicle that bore a Delhi registration plate, he said. The accused were identified as Gurpreet Singh, 30; his brother Amandeep Singh, 28; Parminder Singh, 35; all residents of Vinjoke in Zira of Ferozepur, and Bhupinder Singh, 32, of Ludhiana district.
Gurpreet led the gang and was in touch with Pakistan-based gangster-turned-khalistani terrorist Harvinder Singh, alias Rinda, who provided them the explosives through a drone in Ferozepur recently, Punia said.
“During interrogation, the accused admitted they had got the explosives and arms from Pakistan with the help of a drone and said they were taking the consignment to a destination at Adilabad in Telangana,” he said.
The accused said it was the third consignment that they were delivering at the behest of the Khalistani terrorist. They had earlier delivered a consignment at Maharashtra’s Nanded, the SP added. Investigating officials also confirmed that the preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects were associated with the banned radical outfit Babbar Khalsa.
Haryana director general of police (DGP) PK Agrawal said police are yet to ascertain if the consignment was being delivered to Adilabad in Telangana. “They (four arrested terrorists) are on a 10-day police remand. We arrested them on the basis of specific inputs. Now we will connect the dots after cross checking every piece of information
they disclose during the interrogation. Whatever they will disclose will be verified, including the actual destination of this consignment,” Agrawal said.
Haryana home minister Anil Vij said the matter is being investigated by security agencies and the rest of information will be revealed only after the probe is completed. The four have been booked under Sections 4 and 5 of the Explosives Substances Act, Sections 13, 18, 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Section 25 of the Arms Act.
CHANDIGARH/ FEROZEPUR/ LUDHIANA: Punjab Police chased the four terror suspects for over 300km before they were arrested with three IEDS packed in a metallic case (2.5kg each) and one pistol along with ammunition from Karnal in Haryana.
Punjab director general of police (DGP) VK Bhawra said in the preliminary interrogation, the accused persons revealed that they were working for Pakistan-based gangster-turned-terrorist Harwinder Singh, alias Rinda.
The accused were identified as Gurpreet Singh (28), Amandeep Singh (25) of Vinjoke village, Parminder Singh (24) of Makhu in Zira, Ferozepur, and Bhupinder Singh of Bhatian village in Ludhiana.
Six cases have been registered against Gurpreet, including attempt to murder, recovery of drugs and under the Arms Act across Punjab, said an official, adding: “Parminder was booked in three cases, including theft, trespass and drugs case.” Ferozepur SSP Charanjit Singh Sohal said police teams were keeping a watch on their activities.
Amandeep, who is a taxi driver, was driving the Toyota Innova from which the explosives were seized.
He lives with his wife and grandmother in a small house at Vinjoke village and does not have agriculture land, according to villagers.
The fourth accused, Bhupinder Singh, is a knitting manager at a factory on Rahon Road in Ludhiana. The police raided his house in morning and search and questioning continued late till the evening. Bhupinder’s parents said their son had told them that he was visiting Hazur Sahib in Nanded with his friends. They claimed Bhupinder had no connection with any terror outfit.
Tip-off by central agency
Punjab director general of police (DGP) VK Bhawra said a central agency earlier shared an input that some suspects, who may be carrying explosive material and weapons, are moving in the border districts of Fazilka and Ferozepur.
Subsequent to this input, police teams led by AIG, counter intelligence, Ferozepur, and commandant, PAP, Harkamalpreet Singh Khakh and SHO, SSOC, Fazilka, Satinderdeep Singh Brar, launched a hunt using technical support. The DGP said the teams jointly identified suspected locations in Ferozepur, Fazilka, Faridkot and Mohali districts. The DGP said that the suspects were first found to be moving in the area of Ferozepur and later they started moving in a White Innova vehicle (DL1VB7869) towards Ludhiana.
“The suspects took the national highway and started moving towards Ambala. The development was shared with the Haryana Police, which had managed to intercept the vehicle in Karnal and arrest the accused persons with the IEDS,” he said.
Rinda was mastermind of terror modules busted earlier
Notably, Rinda, a notorious gangster active in Punjab, Chandigarh, Maharashtra and Haryana is a history-sheeter and wanted by the Punjab Police in heinous crimes, including murder, contract killing, robbery, extortion and snatching.
Rinda, who has settled in Pakistan, was also the mastermind of the Nawanshahr grenade blast on CIA police station.
The module from which a tiffin bomb was recovered from Una in Himachal Pradesh and which hurled grenades at police post in Kalma Morh was also directed by Rinda, the police have claimed. Rinda’s name also cropped up the Ludhiana court blast in December last year in which one person was killed.