E-Paper
Wanted in Nanded murder, 2 BKI operatives arrested with weapons
Those arrested have been identified as Jagdish Singh, alias Jagga, a resident of Harike Pattan, Tarn Taran, and his accomplice, Shubhdeep Singh, alias Shubh, from Joneke village in Tarn Taran.
The Mohali unit of the Punjab Police state special operation cell (SSOC) has arrested two operatives of the banned terrorist outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), including the key shooter involved in a murder case in Nanded, Maharashtra. The police recovered two .32 bore pistols along with five cartridges from their possession.
Those arrested have been identified as Jagdish Singh, alias Jagga, a resident of Harike Pattan, Tarn Taran, and his accomplice, Shubhdeep Singh, alias Shubh, from Joneke village in Tarn Taran.
Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav saod the arrests were made based on credible intelligence inputs.
According to police reports, the attack in Nanded took place near Gurdwara Gate No. 6 outside a Sikh Colony on February 10 this year. The target was Gurmeet Singh, a local resident out on parole, who had previously been accused in the 2016 murder of Pakistan-based BKI terrorist Harwinder Singh Rinda’s brother. Gurmeet sustained injuries in the attack but survived, while his associate, Ravindra Rathod, succumbed to critical injuries.
After the attack, Jagdish Singh, alias Jagga, returned to Punjab, where Shubhdeep Singh, alias Shubh, provided him with shelter and financial assistance.
The DGP revealed that both arrested individuals had direct links to Rinda and another terrorist, Happy Passian, who is believed to be in the United States.
“According to their initial disclosures, Jagga confessed to carrying out the Nanded attack under the instructions of Harwinder Rinda. They were also directed by their foreign-based handlers to execute targeted killings in Punjab as part of a larger coordinated terror operation,” the DGP stated.
Further investigations are underway to trace their network, the DGP added.
Providing details of the operation, AIG (SSOC Mohali) Simrat Kaur said in an intelligence-led effort, police teams arrested Shubhdeep Singh on Friday from Sunny Enclave, Kharar. A .32 bore pistol along with two cartridges was recovered from him.
During interrogation, Shubhdeep revealed his role in providing shelter and logistical support to Jagdish before, during and after the Nanded attack. Acting on this information, the SSOC team arrested Jagdish from Phase 1, Mohali, and recovered another .32 bore pistol with three live cartridges.
Both accused have been booked under the Arms Act and Sections 249 (Harbouring an offender) and 61(2) (Criminal Conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the SSOC police station in Mohali.
