Punjab police bust terror module, arrest 5 Babbar Khalsa men

Wednesday 03rd April 2019 06:19 EDT
 

Chandigarh: In a major breakthrough, the State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) of the Punjab police busted a terror module and arrested five "highly radicalised" members of the banned Babbar Khalsa International (BKI). Police also recovered a .32 bore pistol along with a magazine and four live cartridges and 15 letter pads of the BKI from the accused.

Assistant Inspector General of SSOC, Mohali, Varinder Paul Singh, said that acting on a tip off they had busted a militant module comprising highly radicalised youth, who were planning to kill specific targets, including Hindu leaders and members of Dera Sacha Sauda. Those arrested include Harvinder Singh, a resident of Rally village in Sector 12, Panchkula, Sultan Singh, a resident of Saidpura village in Kurukshetra, Haryana, Karamjeet Singh, a resident of Raoke Kalan village in Moga district, Lovepreet Singh, a resident of Baliyan village in Sangrur district and Gurpreet Singh alias Preet, a resident of Sector 20-C, Chandigarh.

Three other accused who were named in the FIR, but are yet to be arrested, are Rupinder Singh, a resident of Niwasri village in Kurukshetra district in Haryana, Daler Singh Bunty, a resident of Rohini in New Delhi and Ranjit Singh, a resident of Pakhoke village in Gurdaspur district. Ranjit Singh is a former chief of Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and is based in Germany, police said.

According to the FIR, Ranjit Singh is the mastermind who was providing help to the accused and was motivating them to eliminate the targets. The FIR also mentions that the accused wanted to kill certain people to fulfill the 'incomplete' task of some other militants who were lodged in different jails in Punjab and other states. AIG Varinder Paul Singh added that after "radicalisation over social media platforms" created by suspected individuals based in Europe, these persons organised several meetings and were planning to indulge in various violent acts to disturb peace and communal harmony in the state.

"In close collaboration with their handlers and associates based in India and abroad, these highly radicalised youths were in process of mobilisation of funds, had already procured lethal weapons and were in the process to procure militant hardware, and were planning to arrange a weapon training session in Jammu and Kashmir. They were also in touch with Sikh militants, including Jagtar Singh Hawara of Babbar Khalsa who is lodged in jail," the AIG stated.

A case under various sections of Prevention of Unlawful Activities Act and Arms Act was registered against the accused at SSOC police station in Mohali. The police officials said that the accused were arrested from a park near Dara studio in Phase VI when they were holding a meeting.


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