TWO HELD WITH RDX-PACKED IED IN PUNJAB, TERROR ATTACK AVERTED
Possible terror attack foiled; accused wanted to target religious, public places in the border state, say police
TARN TARAN: Punjab Police on Sunday said they have averted a possible terror attack in the border state with the arrest of two persons and recovery of an explosive device packed with around 1.5 kg of RDX in a village in Tarn Taran district.
The IED, packed in a metallic black colour box and having a gross weight of over 2.5 kg, was also equipped with a timer, detonator, battery and shrapnels, police said. The recovery came three days after four gangsters, having links with a Khalistani terrorist, were arrested and several explosives, arms and ammunition were recovered from their vehicle at a toll plaza in Karnal. Acting on specific inputs, Baljinder Singh alias Bindu (22) of Gujjarpura village and Jagtar Singh alias Jagga (40) of Khanowal village in Ajnala were arrested.
TARN TARAN: Police thwarted a possible terror attack and arrested two bike-borne men with an improvised explosive device (IED) packed with around 1.5kg of RDX following a tip-off at Naushehra Pannuan village in Tarn Taran district on Sunday.
The IED, packed in a metallic black colour box and having a gross weight of over 2.5kg, was being transported by the accused from an abandoned building in the village, which is around 10km from the district headquarters, the police said. The IED was also equipped with a timer, detonator, battery and sharpnels, said the police.
The development came three days after four people were arrested with the recovery of three IEDS packed in a metallic case (weighing 2.5 kg each) and one pistol in Karnal by the Haryana Police following the inputs from their Punjab counterparts.
Those arrested on Sunday have been identified as Baljinder Singh, alias Bindu (22), of Gujjarpura village in Ajnala, Amritsar; and Jagtar Singh, alias Jagga (40), of Khanowal village of Ajnala in Amritsar.
The police have also recovered a Bajaj Platina motorcycle and two mobile phones from their possession. Bindu was working as a nursing assistant in a private Hospital in Ajnala, while Jagga is a labourer, and both were carrying out this activity for money and drugs, said the police.
Additional director general of police (internal security) RN Dhoke said the Tarn Taran police had received a secret information that Bindu and Jagga carrying explosives were roaming in the Naushehra Pannuan area and were planning to carry out a blast to spread terror among the people there.
Acting promptly, Tarn Taran senior superintendent of police (SSP) Ranjit Singh sent police teams under the supervision of deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Dev Dutt to conduct raids in the area and both the accused were arrested with an IED in a metallic box when they were going on a motorcycle after retrieving it from the abandoned building, he said.
The SSP said initial investigation reveals that the accused had gone to retrieve the IED on the instructions of their accomplice, identified as Jobanjit Singh, alias Joban, a resident of Awan Vasau in Ajnala. Jobanjit is already facing criminal cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and has been declared a proclaimed offender (PO), he said.
A case under Section 25 of the Arms Act, Sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Explosive Substance (Amendment) Act and Section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered at the Sarhali police station in Tarn Taran.
Police officials privy to the development said the accused wanted to spread terror by targeting religious and public places. Baljinder, Jagtar and Joban were in contact with some gangsters and had been receiving funding through hawala from their foreign-based handlers, they added.
A senior police official, who didn’t wish to be named, said: “Our preliminary investigation hints that the IED might have been flown through a drone from Pakistan. We are also investigating radical angle into the case. Our teams are working to nab those who had kept the IED at the abandoned building.”