Punjab Police on Tuesday has busted another targettedkilling module backed by Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) handlers based abroadwith the arrest of its 4 operatives, including a former Indian Army Sepoy, whohad managed to escape from Patiala Jail in April 2021.
Director-General ofPolice (DGP) Punjab Dinkar Gupta said that accused Jaspreet Singh alias Noopi,who had joined the Indian Army as a Sepoy in 2012, was lodged in Jail in aa murder case in 2017. “After escaping from Jail, Noopi came in contact with foreign-based KLF handlers who motivatedand induced him to raise a terror module to carry out targeted killings in thestate,” he said.
The other three arrested persons have been identified asJaswinder Singh, a resident of village Fatehpur Bunga in Ropar, Gaurav Jainalias Minku of village Kaliawala in district Sirsa and Parshant Silelan aliasKabir, a native of Meerut UP and presently staying at Dhanas in Chandigarh, theDGP added.
Sharing details, SSP Khanna Gursharan Singh Grewal saidthat, following inputs, the Khanna Police had stopped an Etios car during aspecial checking at GT Road Khanna and three persons, who got out of the car,tried to flee after opening fire at the Police Party. However, the Police partymanaged to nab Jaswinder and Minku on the spot, while Noopi was arrested later, along with Kabir, his another accomplice.
The Police have also recovered two .32 bore Pistols, along with 4 magazines and ammunition from the possession of accused personsbesides an Etios car bearing fake registration number PB01AS6845, which hadbeen snatched by Noopi at gunpoint from Zirakpur last month.
DGP Dinkar Gupta said that, during investigations, Noopiconfessed to have snatched the Etios car, besides looting Rs 50000 from aPetrol pump in Kharar on July 3, 2021, with the help of his associates.
“Noopi disclosed that he had come in contact withmilitant anti-India individuals and elements based abroad with links to KLFterrorist outfit, who had funded him from abroad for carrying out targetkillings in Punjab and also arranged Pistols for him from UP to carry outterror acts in Punjab,” said DGP Dinkar Gupta, while adding that Noopi also didrecce of sensitive targets in Punjab towards in pursuance of his violentintentions.
SSP Khanna said that preliminary investigations hadrevealed that the module had received funding from abroad via various digitalplatforms including Western Union, Paytm, etc and foreign handlers also providedthree weapons to the module from Rudrapur in Uttrakhand. Further investigationsare on, he added.
Meanwhile, an FIR no. 140 dated 04.07.21 has beenregistered under sections 379-B, 411/34, 307, 332, and 336 of the IPC andsection 25 of the Arms Act at City-2 Police Station Khanna.