In a major breakthrough, Punjab Police on Tuesday said it has busted two ISI-backed cross-border terror modules and arrested nine accused, including four juveniles, police also recovered illegal arms, petrol bombs and live cartridges during the operation.
According to Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav, the accused were allegedly in contact with foreign-based ISI handlers who were trying to recruit local youth to carry out terror-related activities in India. The investigation has also revealed an alleged plan to target Delhi's Jantar Mantar during recent student protests.
The police said three illegal pistols, four petrol bottle bombs and nine live cartridges were recovered during the operation.
The first terror module was busted in the Rajasansi area of Amritsar and it included Sukhman Singh and three juvenile accomplices. During preliminary investigation, police found that the group had allegedly been assigned the task of carrying out an attack at Delhi's Jantar Mantar during the recent student protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
According to the police, Sukhman Singh admitted during questioning that he was in contact with an ISI handler based in Pakistan, he allegedly told investigators that he and his associates had travelled to Delhi to execute the attack but could not carry out the plan because of heavy security arrangements at the protest site.
Police further claimed that an accomplice from Uttar Pradesh was supposed to provide weapons and explosives to the group before the planned attack, however, due to the tight security deployment, the plan failed and the accused returned to Punjab without carrying out the attack.
The investigation also revealed that the accused had allegedly been assigned the task of conducting reconnaissance, or recce, of police buildings and police personnel in Punjab. Police are investigating whether more locations had been surveyed and whether other individuals were involved in the operation.
According to sources, Pakistani gangster and terrorist Shahzad Bhatti is believed to be behind this module operating in Punjab, sources further claimed that the module previously arrested by the Kolkata Special Task Force was also allegedly supposed to reach Jantar Mantar. They were reportedly in contact with associates linked to Shahzad Bhatti through more than six WhatsApp numbers and police have not officially confirmed these source-based claims.
The second terror module came to light during the investigation into suspicious CCTV cameras that had been found installed near railway tracks last month. During the probe, police allegedly discovered that footage recorded through these surveillance cameras was being shared with foreign handlers.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said the investigation into the railway track surveillance case led police to uncover another cross-border network and the sharing of sensitive footage with foreign-based handlers is being treated as a serious security concern.
Amritsar Commissioner of Police (CP) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said police teams acted on reliable intelligence and intercepted Vansh Kumar along with his juvenile associate. During the search, police recovered one illegal .32 bore country-made pistol and three live cartridges from their possession.
Further investigation revealed that financial transactions related to the installation of surveillance cameras near railway tracks were allegedly carried out through Paytm by Sukhdev Singh, who is currently lodged in Central Jail, Amritsar and police said the transactions were made at the instance of his fellow inmate Harman Singh alias Hammu.
Both Sukhdev Singh and Harman Singh were brought from jail on a production warrant and formally arrested in the present case.
Those arrested in the case include Vansh Kumar (19), Anmol Singh alias Sahil (20), both residents of Patti in Tarn Taran district, Harman Singh alias Hammu (24), Sukhdev Singh (30), and Sukhman Singh (19), all residents of Amritsar. The remaining four accused are juveniles.
Punjab Police said further investigation is underway to identify other members of the network, trace the foreign handlers involved and establish the full extent of the alleged cross-border terror conspiracy. Police are also examining digital evidence, financial transactions and communication records as part of the ongoing investigation.
