In a major breakthrough, Punjab Police on Tuesday said it has busted two ISI-backed cross-border terror modules and apprehended nine accused, including four juveniles, with arms and ammunition.
It said preliminary investigation found that foreign-based ISI handlers of the accused were trying to recruit local youth for carrying out terror-related activities, including an attack at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
“In a big breakthrough, Amritsar Commissionerate Police busted two ISI-backed cross-border terror modules, apprehended nine accused, including four juveniles, and recovered 3 illegal pistols, 4 petrol bottle bombs, and 9 live cartridges,” Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said.
According to the police, the first module was caught from the Rajasansi area. It included Sukhman Singh and his three minor accomplices.
Police claimed that the module was tasked with carrying out an attack at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar during the recent student protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
During interrogation, Sukhman confessed that he was in touch with an ISI handler based in Pakistan and had been tasked with carrying out an attack at Jantar Mantar during the recent protest, police said.
Sukhman, according to the police, also revealed that he had gone to Delhi with his associates, but could not carry out the attack due to heavy security. During interrogation it was revealed that an accomplice from Uttar Pradesh was supposed to provide weapons and explosives to Sukhman and his associates for the Jantar Mantar attack, but the plan did not succeed due to the security arrangements and they all returned to Punjab, police said.
According to sources, Pakistani gangster and terrorist Shahzad Bhatti is behind this module in Punjab. The module that was earlier caught by Kolkata STF was also supposed to come to Jantar Mantar. They were also in touch with Shahzad Bhatti’s people through more than six WhatsApp numbers.
The investigation also revealed that the accused had been assigned the task of conducting recce of police buildings and police personnel in Punjab.
The second module was busted during the investigation into suspicious CCTV cameras installed near some railway tracks that were discovered last month.
The investigation also uncovered that the footage from such cameras near railway tracks was allegedly being shared with foreign handlers, the DGP said.
Among those arrested are Vansh Kumar (19) and Anmol Singh alias Sahil (20) of Patti in Tarn Taran; Harman Singh alias Hammu (24), Sukhdev Singh (30) and Sukhman Singh (19) of Amritsar. The remaining four accused are juveniles, police said.
Sharing operational details, Commissioner of Police (CP), Amritsar, Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said that acting on reliable intelligence, police teams intercepted Vansh Kumar along with his juvenile associate and recovered one illegal .32 bore country-made pistol, along with three live cartridges, from their possession.
Bhullar said that further investigation has revealed that the financial transactions relating to the installation of surveillance cameras near railway tracks were made through Paytm by Sukhdev Singh, who is lodged in Central Jail, Amritsar, at the instance of his fellow inmate Harman Singh alias Hammu. They were brought on a production warrant and formally arrested in the present case.
