Gurdaspur, September 5
The district police has managed to prevent a terrorist strike in Punjab with the recovery of a huge cache of arms, including 15 kg RDX, following the arrest of three terrorists and two suspected Pakistan nationals hiding in the Pathankot area.

The IG, Jalandhar zone, Mr S. K. Sharma, said at a press conference here today that five persons with a terrorism background had brought arms, ammunition and explosives to the Pathankot area through the Jammu and Kashmir border. Backed by the ISI, they had been planning terrorist attacks through bomb blasts and shootings in Punjab to revive terrorism in the state, he said.

On a tip-off from intelligence agencies on September 3, the Gurdaspur SSP, Mr Narinder Bhargav, ordered special nakas on the Pathankot-Madhopur road. Last night, a team led by the Pathankot SP, Mr Manminder Singh, intercepted a Tata Sierra that did not bear any number plate on the T-point on the Defence Road on the Jammu-Pathankot highway.

The driver, on seeing the police party, tried to drive through the naka, but failed. However, after the vehicle was stopped, the occupants tried to flee in different directions, firing on the police party. But after a short exchange of fire they were arrested.

The arrested include Saroop Singh a resident of Jalandhar district and member of the Khalistan Commondo Force (Panjwar). He was also closely associated with KCF terrorist Ranjit Singh, alias Neeta. Saroop Singh’s brother Nirmal Singh, alias Nimma, and Rashpal Singh, a resident of the Adampur area in Jalandhar, were the other two terrorists arrested.

The two more persons arrested were suspected to be residents of Pakistan. They, however, identified themselves as Rattan Singh and Avtar Singh and claimed to be residents of Uttar Pradesh.

The arms and ammunition seized were found buried along the Madhopur-Pathankot road on information provided by the arrested terrorists.

During preliminary interrogation the terrorists disclosed that they were trying to procure maps of Army and BSF locations in and around Pathankot.

The suspected Pakistan nationals admitted that hardcore terrorist Ranjit Singh had sent them to Saroop Singh in Punjab to revive terrorism in the state, the IG said.

The arms and ammunition seized besides 15 kg RDX included two AK-56 rifles, six magazines of AK-56 rifles, 170 cartridges of AK-56 rifles, 13 China-made .30 bore pistols with 325 cartridges, three time bombs, two HE 36 hand grenades, two grenade pins with fuse, seven battery bombs, five time pencils, two time devices (PTD), one mask for underwater use and Rs 1.38 lakh in fake Indian currency.

The IG said since 1998 the terrorists had managed to carry out 11 bomb blasts. The latest catch by the district police had prevented more such incidents.

Following the catch, the BSF authorities have been asked to look for the places from where such a huge quantity of explosives was brought into the country.

The interrogation of the arrested terrorists had also revealed certain starling facts regarding the involvement of certain non-resident Indians in the move to revive terrorism, the IG added.