Attack on Gumtala Police post: Punjab police unravel Pak-ISI backed narco terror module, arrest two with grenade and pistols

Punjab Police’s SSOC Amritsar has busted a Pak-ISI backed narco terror-module being operated by USA-based Harpreet Singh alias Happy Passian and USA-based notorious drug smuggler Sarwan Bhola with the arrest of its two members for their involvement in lobbying hand-grenade on Gumtala Police Post in Amritsar, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Tuesday.

Accused arrested have been identified as Bagga Singh of Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar in Sirsa, Haryana and Puskaran Singh alias Sagar of Amarkot in Amritsar. Police teams have also recovered one hand grenade and two sophisticated pistols along with ammunition from their possession.

Some persons hurled a hand grenade at Gumtala Police Post in Amritsar Commissionerate on January 9 this year. Following the incident, terrorist organisation BKI had used social media platform to claim the responsibility for this terror act.

DGP Gaurav Yadav informed as per the investigations, accused Bagga Singh is a relative of Sarwan Bhola, who is the brother of notorious smuggler Ranjit Singh alias Cheeta— currently lodged in Bathinda jail in 532 kg heroin recovery case. Pertinently, accused Sarwan Singh is also wanted in 532 kg heroin recovery case and carries Rs 2 lakh reward announced by National Investigation Agency (NIA).

He said that Accused Sarwan Bhola, who has been operating drug smuggling network from USA, has handed over his relative Bagga Singh and his associate Pushkaran to Happy Passian and Harvinder Rinda to carry out terror activities in the border state. He further said that investigations are in progress in scientific manner to establish forward and backward linkages in this case and unveil the entire terror module.

AIG SSOC Amritsar Sukhminder Singh Mann stated that following the attack at Gumtala Police Post, police teams have launched an intelligence operation and arrested Bagga Singh from Sirsa in Haryana and Pushkaran Singh from Amritsar area leading to recovery of explosives and weapons. Further efforts are being made to discover the previous crimes committed by the accused persons and arrest remaining members of this module, he added.