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Man who gave shelter to suspected Mohali RPG attackers for 3 days detained
Police said primary investigation has revealed that Nishan Singh sheltered two accused in Amritsar.
Nishan Singh, a 26-year-old man with the alleged role behind the Mohali grenade attack, has been detained by the police as the cops are probing the unprecedented rocket attack on the third floor at the office of the state's intelligence wing. Police said Nishan Singh belongs to Tarn Taran district and has five cases including dacoity and that of Arms Act in Faridkot and Tarn Taran. Two accused were provided shelter by Nishan Singh in Amritsar for three days before the RPG attack, police said.
The Punjab police on Tuesday recovered the launcher used in the attack. "A number of suspects have been rounded up and questioned. The launcher used in the attack has been recovered by the police and all leads developed in the case are being pursued meticulously," a statement issued by the Mohali police said.
A case under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Explosives Act has been lodged at Mohali's Sohana police station in connection with the incident. The case was registered on the statement of Balkar Singh, who said he was on duty in the evening and at around 7.45pm, there was an explosion. When he went on the third floor, there was smoke emanating from room number 41, he said. “When we went inside, we found the RPG on the chair. It had been shattered the window and hit the roof of the room before falling on the chair,” he added in the FIR.
Director-General of Police (DGP) VK Bhawra, who visited the Punjab Police Intelligence headquarters on Tuesday, said the explosive used in the blast appeared to be TNT.
A pale yellow in colour in the solid-state, TNT is an essential component of many explosives. The DGP said police teams probing the case got strong leads in the case and the team was hopeful of cracking the case soon.
Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday held a meeting with the DGP and top officials of the intelligence wing and directed the state police chief to probe the matter thoroughly. a meeting with the DGP and top officials of the intelligence wing and directed the state police chief to probe the matter thoroughly.
The involvement of gangster-turned-terrorist Harvinder Singh Rinda, who is believed to be in Pakistan, is also not being ruled out. Rinda has been taking the help of local gangsters to carry out anti-national activities here, police sources said.
His name figured when a terror plot was foiled recently with the arrest of four suspected Pakistan-linked terrorists in Haryana's Karnal. Rinda's involvement was also detected in a hand-grenade attack at the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) office in Nawanshahr last month.
(With inputs from the bureau and agencies)
