A major terror conspiracy was averted in Karnal on Thursday after the Haryana Police's Special Task Force acted swiftly on information provided by a wanted criminal. Amar Singh, a notorious gangster arrested near Indri, admitted during interrogation that he had hidden two hand grenades and an IED in bushes near Jhinjhari.
A forensic team, the bomb disposal squad and the STF reached the location and safely defused all the explosive devices. Amar Singh faces ten serious cases, including murder and robbery and is linked to the Lawrence and Kala Rana gangs.
According to the STF, the nature of the recovered materials suggests the possibility of a major planned attack.
Explosives brought from Punjab
Investigators say the terror plot stalled after the arrest of Noni Rana. The arrested gangster revealed that he had collected the explosives from Punjab on Noni Rana's orders. Following Rana's arrest, further instructions did not reach him, leaving the explosives unused.
During remand, Singh disclosed the hiding spot after which the bomb squad recovered and defused the grenades and the IED. The device was fitted with a detonator, a timer and around one point five kilograms of RDX.
Gang network shifting from crime to terror operations
The STF investigation has also found that Amar Singh came into contact with Monu Rana and later Noni Rana while lodged in jail. He allegedly received continuous instructions from an overseas network based in the United States and became part of a supply chain for weapons and explosives.
Amar Singh is a resident of Meerut and faces action in ten cases, including double murder, kidnapping and robbery.
Sequence of events
On November 25, the STF arrested Amar Singh from the Indri Karnal road along with illegal foreign-made weapons. A court granted a 6-day remand. During questioning, he revealed that he had buried two grenades and an IED in bushes near the national highway. The team reached the spot, recovered the explosives and defused them safely. The IED fitted with a timer, and one point five kilograms of RDX indicated preparations for a major incident.
Explosives source under probe
According to the STF, the accused has not yet clearly revealed the exact source or the identities of the suppliers. It is also being probed who the explosives were meant for and where they were to be delivered. The arrest of Noni Rana disrupted the network and the next phase of the plan could not be executed. Investigators have found that Amar Singh was to be paid between Rs 20-25,000 for the task.
Report from Amit Bhatnagar
