The Punjab Police has busted two terror modules in the state and arrested six operatives of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) in separate operations, said a senior official on Friday, adding that a huge cache of arms and ammunition was also seized. The BKI operatives were planning to carry out a terror strike in the state ahead of the Republic Day celebrations across the country.
One of the operatives was identified as Sharanpreet Singh, who is a resident of Dinewal village of the Tarn Taran district. From his possession, the police recovered a P-86 type hand grenade, one 9 mm Glock pistol, along with five live cartridges and 65 grams of ICE (Methamphetamine) drug.
After this, the police busted another terror module backed by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), arrested five more BKI operatives from Hoshiarpur. The police also seized an RDX-based improvised explosive device (IED) weighing 2.5 kg, two pistols and some cartridges.
The arrested operatives have been Diljot Singh Saini, Harman alias Harry, Ajay alias Mehra, and Arshdeep Singh alias Arsh Kandola.
A first information report (FIR) has been registered at the Garhshankar police station in Hoshiarpur under relevant sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Explosive Substances Act, said Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav in a post on X (which was previously called Twitter), while adding that further investigation is underway.
"The module was being operated by USA-based BKI handlers. Preliminary investigations reveal that the recovered IED was intended for a targeted terror attack in view of the upcoming Republic Day celebrations," he said. "Punjab Police remains steadfast in its resolve to dismantle transnational terror and organised crime networks sponsored by Pakistan’s ISI and to maintain peace, security, and harmony in Punjab."
The arrest of the six BKI operatives come at a time when intelligence agencies have issued a warning, saying Pakistan-backed terrorists are planning to carry strikes in India on Republic Day. Earlier, sources had told India TV that Gurpatwant Singh Pannun's Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) is also planning to conduct strikes in India, particularly in Punjab, and has also activated its sleeper cells.
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