Pak-trained Indian mercenary held
Tribune News Service

LUDHIANA, Aug 27 — The Punjab police today claimed to have achieved a major breakthrough in its fight against narco-terrorism with the arrest of a smuggler-cum-courier Dipty Nath, alias Palla. He had also received extensive training in carrying out sabotage and subversive activities from the ISI.

The arrest has revealed yet another dimension of the proxy war of the ISI being pursued in Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and several other states.

Announcing this here today at a press conference Mr P.C. Dogra, DGP, Punjab, said the arrest of this inter-state criminal active in the trans-border operations of the ISI for over a decade led to the large-scale recoveries of weapons and explosives.

The police seized about 10 kg of RDX, about 3 kg of PETN, about 7 kg of nitro-glycerine, sodium/potassium nitrate and saw dust mixture, and a large number of electric detonators, non-electric detonators, time-blasting fuse caps etc.

The police has arrested, besides Dipty Nath Sharma, alias Palla, alias Pala, Kanta, wife of Ved Parkash Sharma, alias Jai, alias Billa, alias Veda, and Deepak Sharma, alias Pintoo, all residents of Labdu Chak, Rajbagh in Kathua district.

According to the Ludhiana police chief, Mr Dinkar Gupta, two of their accomplices, Ved Parkash Sharma, alias Jai, alias Billa, alias Veda, and Pradeep Sharma had absconded. Heavy recoveries of high explosives like PETN, RDX and nitro-glycerine had been made from their places of residence in Sanjay Gandhi Colony and Kuldip Nagar, Rahon Road, Basti Jodhewal. Dipty Nath had set up a unit with three over-lock hosiery machines in Basti Jodhewal.

Dipty Nath had undertaken more than 100 trips across the border.

Ved Parkash Sharma, came to live with his nephews Pradeep and Deepak who were already settled in Ludhiana. Sometime later he also brought Dipty Nath to Ludhiana. Both of them started living here with their families. Ved Parkash bought a house in Sanjay Gandhi Colony on the Tajpur Road.

Dipty Nath (36) started smuggling activities in the eighties at the behest of Ved Parkash whose wife has also been arrested from Ludhiana. He brought massive consignments for the Babbars during 1988-89 via the Jammu and Kashmir sector while working in co-ordination with the then chief of the Babbar Khalsa, Sukhdev Singh Babbar, Wadhawa Singh and Mehal Singh. Dipty was arrested while bringing a massive consignment of weapons/explosives for the Babbars in 1989 and remained in various jails in Jammu and Kashmir till 1995.

During his confinement in jails he developed links with many Punjab and Kashmiri militants. He was approached by Mohinder Pappi, chief of the KTF and one of the most dreaded criminals of the Jammu area, who was later killed in an encounter in Punjab. Dipty assisted the group through his contact men to procure arms, ammunition and explosions from the ISI.

After his release, he was approached again by smugglers from Punjab and J&K and also terrorist leaders operating form Lahore. He revived his links with Wadhawa Singh and Panjwar. He played a crucial role in strengthening the bases of these organisations. He made at least 12 trips to Pakistan during which he brought at least five quintals of explosives, weapons and other deadly chemicals besides a consignment of narcotics.

He has confessed having brought over two quintals of "a" grade heroin valued at Rs 200 crore in international market.

The police said Rafiq, Firman, Ghurki brothers, Iqbal, Banty were some of the smugglers operating through Dipty.

Dipty who specialised in border crossing via Paharpur area of the Hirapur region of Jammu border, also served as a trusted contact man of the Lahore-based smugglers to facilitate the visits of their top agents to and from India. He also provided powerful conduit for arms-runners of Delhi and western UP.

Dipty Nath's association with Paramjit Singh Panjwar, chief of the KCF (Panjwar), dates back to the late eighties he has confessed to having brought many trained terrorists belonging to the Panjwar group who had come from European and South Asian countries, including Bhupinder Singh Bhinda, the main accused behind the dastardly incidents at Baghapurana and Moga in July 1977.

Militant chief and their ISI mentors have also been giving them lakhs of fake currency notes with a view to destabilising the economy of the country.

Kanta is again a big name in the field of smuggling. She would very clandestinely bring and shift consignments of arms, explosives and drugs from the border to safer areas before delivering them to parties concerned.

Paramjit Singh Panjwar had been motivating Dipty and Ved Parkash to help them carry out bombs explosions in busy and crowded areas for the past couple of years.

Dipty had been supplying sensitive information to the ISI about the army headquarters, their maps, plans and notes and directly jeopardising the defence of the country.