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Canada-based gangster behind rocket attack in Punjab: Police
Canada-based gangster Lakhbir Singh alias Landa Harike was the mastermind behind the rocket propelled grenade attack on a police station in Punjab’s border district of Tarn Taran last week.
Canada-based gangster Lakhbir Singh alias Landa Harike was the mastermind behind the rocket propelled grenade (RPG) attack on a police station in Punjab’s border district of Tarn Taran last week, director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said on Friday, adding that six people were held.
The attack, at Sarhali police station on Amritsar-Bathinda national highway on December 9, was the second such incident in the state in the last seven months. In May, a similar attack, which police said was also carried out by Lakhbir Singh Landa, hit the state police’s intelligence wing headquarters in Mohali, sparking concerns about deteriorating law and order.
On December 9, the rocket hit a wall of a Suvidha Centre inside Sarhali police station when around 10 people, including station house officer and sub-inspector Parkash Singh, were on duty. The window panes of the Suvidha Centre were damaged. No one was injured in the incident.
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Yadav said four people were arrested and two juveniles were detained in connection with the attack. The juveniles allegedly carried out the attack after learning how to operate the RPG from YouTube videos, he said.
“Investigations revealed that Landa was the mastermind and he got the attack executed through two Europe-based handlers, Satbir Singh Satta and Gurdev Singh Jaisel,” the DGP said, adding the duo further operated through one Ajmeet Singh who is currently lodged in Goindwal Sahib jail in an extortion and murder case.
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Satta and Jaisel are also wanted by police in connection with the murder of a Tarn Taran businessman.
“A Soviet-era single-use 70 mm calibre RPG-26 was sourced from across the border for the crime and was recovered a day after the incident,” Yadav added.
Police also recovered three pistols – two .32-bore and one .30-bore – along with ammunition, one hand grenade P-86 and a motorcycle that was used in the crime from the accused.
“The Tarn Taran police, in coordination with the counter-intelligence wing of Punjab Police, conducted a meticulous investigation based on technical and intelligence inputs… This is the major success of the Punjab police,”Yadav said.
The arrested people were identified as Gurpreet Singh alias Gopi Numberdar (18) and Jobanpreet Singh alias Joban (18), both from Naushera Pannuan, Gurlal Singh alias Gahla (19) of Chola Sahib and Surlalpal Singh alias Gurlal Lali (21) of Thathiya Mahanta village.
They have been booked under section 307 (attempt to murder) of Indian Penal Code, section 16 (terrorist act) of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and section 3 (causing explosion likely to endanger life or property) of Explosive Substances Act.
Yadav said Numberdar and Gurlal Singh were directly in touch with Lakhbir Singh and Satta.
Numberdar had received ₹8.5 lakh, a .30-bore pistol and 200 cartridges from Lakhbir Singh and Satta. On December 1, Gopi, Gurlal Singh and Jobanpreet Singh received another consignment containing the RPG at Jhander village and they dumped the same near Marhana village, the officer said.
During the course of the probe, Numberdar and Gurlal Singh admitted that the two juveniles were tasked by Lakhbir Singh and Satta to carry out the attack. Another accused, Gurlal Lali, provided logistic support and handed over ₹1 lakh to the juveniles who were camping at Marhana village a few hours before the attack, the DGP said.
“The juveniles carried out the attack after learning how to operate the RPG through YouTube videos,” Yadav said.
Numberdar and Gurlal Singh were arrested from Patti Morh in Sarhali. Police arrested Jobanpreet and Gurlal Lali from near Naushehra Pannuan and the juveniles were also detained.
