IED seizure: College dropout, Bhupinder Saini worked at Ludhiana unit

Ludhiana, May 5

Close on the heels of the arrest of Ludhiana resident Bhupinder Singh Saini, alias Gopi, along with three others, in Karnal with three IEDs, the police raided his house at Amaltas Enclave, Bhatian village, on Thursday evening.

A team of police accompanied by the bomb squad conducted a search at his house and its vicinity.

Expressing shock at the arrest, village panch Kulwinder Kaur claimed Bhupinder had left the house yesterday morning, saying he was going to pay obeisance at Anandpur Sahib along with a friend on a motorcycle.

Bhupinder, a BCA dropout from GMT College, was working as a manager at Preet Net Fab, Rahon road, Basti Jodhewal. His father Kuljit Singh, who was earlier into the cable TV business, was in property business and had rented out a vehicle to Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL).

A senior police official said Bhupinder had no criminal record. “For the past over a month, one of the three other accused had been visiting his house and it could be possible they had been planning the conspiracy to shift explosives to a designated place on the directions of Pakistan-based terrorist Harwinder Singh Rinda,” said a police official.

The police were scanning the CCTV footage to ascertain if his house was visited by any other accused. Sources said Bhupinder was reportedly lured by Khalistan operatives with money and the police suspected a hawala trail. Of the three accused, Bhupinder was friendly with Gurpreet, they added.

Bhupinder along with his father, mother and sister had been living at Bhatian for the past over 10 years.

Co-accused visited him regularly

Bhupinder Singh Saini had no criminal record, but one of the three other accused had been visiting his house for the past over a month, said a police official