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Chandigarh blast case: US-based gangster reneges on promised rewards to accused
The two suspects, the main perpetrator Rohan Masih, who was arrested from Amritsar on Friday i.e. September 13, and Vishal Masih, had come in an auto-rickshaw, to lob a grenade at a house in upscale Sector 10 in Chandigarh on September 11.
A day after arresting the second accused Vishal Masih in the Chandigarh grenade blast incident, the Punjab Police said that an investigation into the incident has revealed that US-based gangster Harpreet Singh alias Happy Passia reneged on promised rewards to two suspects.
Vishal, a resident of Raimal village in Batala, was arrested in front of Omaxe Mall in Chandni Chowk, Delhi, by Punjab Police in coordination with central agencies, Punjab director general of police, Guarav Yadav said.
As per police officials in Delhi, Vishal had rented a hotel room and was tracked down based on human and technical intelligence.
“Following leads generated through various sources, second perpetrator Vishal Masih s/o Sabi Masih resident of village Raimal near Dhyanpur PS Kotli Surat Mallian, #Batala, District #Gurdaspur has been arrested from #Delhi,” the DGP said in a post on X.
Further investigations are being conducted to uncover the entire conspiracy, he further added.
The two suspects, the main perpetrator Rohan Masih, who was arrested from Amritsar on Friday i.e. September 13, and Vishal Masih, had come in an auto-rickshaw, to lob a grenade at a house in upscale Sector 10 in Chandigarh on September 11.
DGP Yadav said that the investigation revealed that Happy Passia provided the accused with explosives, weapons and logistical support through his local associates in Punjab and also arranged some financial backing for them.
After committing the crime, the duo came to Amritsar and subsequently parted their ways, he said, while adding that Vishal first went to Jammu & Kashmir and then moved to Delhi, when police teams apprehended him.
“The probe also revealed that Happy Passia initially provided funds to entice the individuals involved, with the promise of a substantial payment upon the successful execution of the criminal plan. After completing the task, both the accused persons contacted Passia for promised rewards, only to be met with initial evasion and eventual radio silence,” he said.
The DGP, while highlighting the exploitative nature of these anti-national elements, urged the youth to beware of these deceitful terrorist handlers who use and discard vulnerable individuals with false promises.
Don’t fall prey to such elements who will first exploit you by promising big rewards and then abandon you, he added.
Notably, this same pattern of betrayal by foreign handlers has been observed in previous investigations as well, wherein such handlers initially lure the innocent local youth with false promises and later abandon them once the act is done.
Sharing more details, Assistant Inspector General, Amritsar, Sukhminder Singh Mann said in-depth investigations in this case are being conducted in coordination with the Chandigarh Police to uncover the entire conspiracy and local network of Happy Passia.
Police got the remand of Vishal Masih till September 20, after producing him in court, he added.
Links to Amritsar smuggling network
Police officials said Vishal’s potential connections to arms smugglers, particularly in Punjab and across the Indo-Pak border, are being closely examined by the police. The SSOC, Amritsar has arrested Vishal Masih in an ongoing FIR registered under Sections 25/54/59 of the Arms Act and Section 61(2) of the BNS Act registered on September 8. The police have obtained Vishal’s remand till September 20 in this connection.
Police sources said that the weapon used in the Sector 10 blast by the duo was procured on September 8, four days before the attack.
According to information, unknown smugglers used drones and other methods to transport large consignments of weapons from Pakistan in the Amritsar district near the Indo-Pak border.
The police on September 8 had arrested Akasdeep Singh and Amarjit Singh, in this case.
“It is believed that this consignment included the hand grenade later used by Rohan and Vishal in the Chandigarh attack, an official said, pleading anonymity.
