19-yr-old among 2 held in Punjab for terror ties
Ferozepur, May 6
A day after the Haryana Police arrested four Punjab-based terror suspects in the Karnal area, the security agencies today arrested two persons, including a 19-year-old boy, for alleged links to the accused. Also, the police have brought a gangster on production warrant for interrogation.
Arms dropped in kin’s fields
- Akashdeep, who worked as driver for ‘kingpin’ Gurpreet, used to deliver arms consignments at various places, said SSP
- Consignments sent by Pak-based ultra Rinda were dropped via drone in fields of Akashdeep’s grandmother near Arifke along border
- Jashanpreet, 19, is a cousin of arrested brothers Gurpreet and Amandeep. His father works with the Health Department in Faridkot
Linked to ISI
Both operatives were part of the module busted on Thursday. They had received several consignments sent by ISI and Pakistan-based pro-Khalistan terrorist groups. — Charanjit Singh, Ferozepur SSP
Those arrested have been identified as Akashdeep Singh, alias Akash (25), a resident of Peerke village, Ferozepur, and Jashanpreet Singh, alias Jass (19), of Faridkot.
SSP Charanjit Singh said on the disclosures of the four accused, they had been conducting raids along with the Special Operation Cell, Fazilka, to apprehend other members of the module. The two operatives were nabbed as they tried to flee Ferozepur in a Scorpio car.
Among the four arrested yesterday, Gurpreet Singh (30) and Amandeep Singh (27), both brothers, and Parminder Singh (34) belonged to Vinjo Ke in Zira sub-division, while Bhupinder Singh Saini hailed from Ludhiana.
The SSP said Jashanpreet was a cousin of Gurpreet, the alleged kingpin of the module, and Amandeep. His father Buta Singh is posted in the Health Department, Faridkot.
The SSP said Akash used to work as a driver for Gurpreet and had allegedly delivered a few consignments of explosives and firearms at various places using an Innova and a Scorpio.
“Earlier, Akash used to work as a security in-charge at a private firm in Mohali. He later came in contact with Gurpreet, who apparently lured him with money. Akash then started working with Gurpreet, who was already in touch with Pakistan-based Babbar Khalsa International terrorist Harvinder Singh, alias Rinda,” said SSP.
“Rinda used to smuggle weapons and explosives from across the border via drones,” he said. Akash revealed the drone used to drop the consignment in the fields of his maternal grandmother at Muthianwali village, near Arifke, along the Pakistan border. They used to send the location to the Pakistan operatives through the Net.
They remained in touch through tele-calling or social media platforms. Later, they started delivering consignments at other places, apparently to BKI’s sleeper cells, said the SSP.
The SSP said it also came to the fore that besides Rinda, the accused had links with gangster Rajvir Singh, alias Raja, from Batala. He is lodged in the Bathinda jail in connection with various criminal cases. The Ferozepur police have brought Raja on production warrant for interrogation.
The accused have been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Explosive Substances Act and Arms Act. The two were being produced in the court for securing their police remand.
The Haryana Police had yesterday arrested the four suspects from Karnal, and seized three IEDs, a pistol, 31 rounds and Rs 1.30 lakh from them. Gurpreet was allegedly involved in criminal activities, while Amandeep worked as a taxi driver in the area. Amandeep’s wife Navpreet Kaur wife said they married four years.
“I don’t know how Aman got involved in this. As far as I know, he is a taxi driver and Innova impounded by the police belongs to him,” she said.
“Both Gurpreet and Parminder have been earlier booked at various police stations under the NDPS Act and Arms Act,” said the SSP.
Meanwhile, Jashanpreet’s father Buta Singh claimed his son had visited Hazoor Sahib with Gurpreet and Amandeep a month ago. “I don’t know much about the activities my nephews,” he claimed.
(With inputs from Faridkot)
