Punjab Police arrest 10 members of Pakistan-backed terror model; prevent possible grenade attacks

Punjab Police DG has said that the cops have recovered a hand grenade, three pistols, and a Chinese drone, suspected of cross-border use, from the accused. Pic/X

Amid the ongoing effort to make Punjab a safe and secure state, the Commissionerate Police (CP) in Amritsar has successfully prevented a potential grenade attack on a police establishment in the Batala area with the arrest of 10 individuals, Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav stated on Friday.

According to the police, the accused include four key operatives of a cross-border terror module allegedly run by Pakistan-based Harvinder Rinda and foreign-based operatives Happy Passian, Jeevan Fauji, and Jashanpreet Singh alias Lal.

The four arrested key operatives have been identified as Arjanpreet Singh of Awan Ramdas in Amritsar, Lovepreet Singh alias Love of Perhewal in Amritsar, Basant Singh, and Amanpreet Singh alias Aman, both residents of Baba Bakala Sahib in Amritsar, news agency ANI reported. The six others, who provided logistical support, have been identified as Barinderpal Singh alias Mani and Rajbir Singh alias Raju, both residents of Katle in Amritsar; Vishvas Masih alias Bhabbo of Bhaganpura in Amritsar; Dilpreet Singh alias Manna, Harjot Kumar alias Mithu, and Joyal Masih alias Rohan alias Nony, all residents of Dera Baba Nanak in Batala, the Punjab Police added.

Yadav said that the police teams recovered three pistols - two 0.30 bore and one 0.32 bore - along with one hand grenade and a drone from the accused.

Further investigations are underway to establish both forward and backward linkages in the case, he added.

Providing further details, CP Amritsar Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that acting on credible intelligence about the module's activities, the Amritsar Commissionerate launched an operation based on this information, arresting all the accused from various locations, including the Ramdas area of Amritsar Rural, Batala, and Amritsar City, ANI reported. The recoveries were made from the villages of Khana Chamara in Dera Baba Nanak, Awaan in Ramdas, and the Vallah area of Amritsar City, he added.

The CP further stated that with the arrests of Basant Singh and Amanpreet Singh alias Aman, the Amritsar Commissionerate Police have also solved the case of an attack on a police officer's residence in Batala on 28 November 2024.

He added that police teams have identified another key operative of this module and are conducting a manhunt to apprehend him.

According to ANI, a case has been registered under the relevant sections of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), and the Arms Act at Police Station Cantonment, Amritsar.

(With ANI inputs)