E-Paper
Punjab: 2 linked to gangster-terror module caught; pistol, ammunition seized
The arrested accused persons were planning targeted killings to create panic and communal disturbance in the state.
The Amritsar unit of the State Special Operation Cell (SSOC), in a joint operation with Counter Intelligence (CI), Pathankot, arrested two more individuals associated with a gangster-terror module operating across multiple districts of the state and recovered a sophisticated 9MM Glock pistol along with three magazines and five live cartridges, director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav here on Tuesday.
Those arrested have been identified as Harpreet Singh, a resident of Baupur Afgana in Gurdaspur, and Navpreet Singh, a resident of Machhiwal village in Amritsar. Yadav said that preliminary investigation has revealed the accused were working at the behest of their UK-based handler, who had arranged the weapon and had tasked them with conducting recce of specific targets in Gurdaspur, Batala and Amritsar. The arrested accused persons were planning targeted killings to create panic and communal disturbance in the state, he said.
According to the DGP, two others of the same module were arrested earlier and a hand grenade and pistol were recovered from them. The fresh arrests have been made during the probe of the same case that was registered on August 30 under Section 25 of the Arms Act, Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Explosives Act at SSOC-Amritsar police station.
Sharing operational details, SSOC AIG Sukhminder Singh Mann said that building on the leads obtained from the previous operation, officials uncovered the extent of the network’s activities, which led to the identification and arrest of two more individuals connected with the same module.
The AIG said that further investigation is underway to expose and dismantle the entire network, including its backward and forward linkages. More arrests and recoveries are likely in the coming days.
