The Rajasthan Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) and Sri Ganganagar Police arrested two alleged accused from Gurdaspur, Punjab, on Saturday in connection with the explosion on the railway line in the Ramsinghpur police station area on 3rd November. The accused are Mahakdeep Kaur and Devendra Singh (both from Gurdaspur). The police have stated that the preliminary investigation has established a link between the two and Pakistani handlers.
The arrests were made as part of a joint operation involving the Rajasthan ATS, Sri Ganganagar police, Punjab Counter Intelligence and Gurdaspur police. ADDG Police Dinesh MN headed the operation and formed a team under the charge of Sri Ganganagar SP Harishankar. The team reviewed technical inputs and the suspects’ social media profiles before travelling to Punjab.
The Rajasthan team was headed by Probationary IPS officer Nitin Chaudhary (investigating officer) and Surendra Kumar, in-charge of the ATS Bikaner unit. They shared the intelligence with Punjab Counter Intelligence and Gurdaspur Senior SP Aditya before arresting the suspects.
As per the police, Mahakdeep Kaur was in touch with a Pakistani handler known as Shah and had conspired with her associate to carry out the blast. Another individual, referred to as “Chacha”, who was believed to have links with Pakistan’s ISI, was identified as having been in a position to direct the accused.
Two foreign-made pistols, 46 live rounds and Rs 30,000, which was allegedly paid to them for the purpose of carrying out the explosion, were recovered from them.
The accused were said to have received the payments through online means and had been following the profiles of active gangsters on social media.
The inquiry has established several prior attempts. The accused originally intended to carry out an explosion in the Ramsinghpur area on October 6 but were unable to do so as they did not have an explosive device. A timer bomb allegedly supplied by Shah was placed on the rails on the 12th/13th of October but failed to go off due to a technical fault. The actual blast was carried out on the 3rd of November at approximately 9.45 pm using a second timer bomb which was supplied by the Pakistani handler. The Ramsinghpur area was apparently selected to avoid suspicion by having a woman carry out the operation.
Preliminary investigation has also established that Kaur’s husband, Karanveer Singh, was previously arrested in Punjab in a drug smuggling case. On the back of that arrest, Kaur is said to have come into contact with Pakistan-based handlers. The case has brought to light what the police believe is a growing trend of targeting women via romantic relationships and financial inducements to get them into criminal activity. The ATS had earlier arrested a woman from Gangapur City named Babita, who was allegedly lured into contact with the Pakistan handlers via a romantic relationship.
They are now being questioned in connection with the FIR registered at the Ramsinghpur police station. Investigators are still tracing the financial trail, other contacts, and the network’s full extent on the other side of the border, the sources said.
Rajasthan Police have advised the public to stay away from any social media accounts or contacts which may be linked to handlers/gangsters based in Pakistan. If you have information about such gangsters, anti-national activities, or any crime, please contact the Rajasthan ATS Control Room on 0141-2601583 or via WhatsApp on 9001999070. The Police have reiterated that the informant’s identity will be kept absolutely confidential.