In a well coordinated operation between the Haryana Police and the Punjab Police, a major terror plot was foiled on Thursday with the arrest of four suspected Pakistan-linked terrorists in Karnal. The four were were on their way to Telangana to deliver explosives.
Karnal Superintendent of Police Ganga Ram Punia told reporters that the arrested accused were allegedly in touch with a Pakistan-based man who is involved in terror activities and who used to send locations through an app to them to deliver explosives and weapons.
Director General of Haryana Police PK Agrawal said the four were arrested in a joint operation carried out early morning on intelligence inputs by Central agencies.
“In an intelligence-led operation, the Punjab Police and the Haryana Police arrested four persons today at Karnal with the recovery of 3 IEDs weighing 2.5 kg each and one pistol. Further investigation is on,” the Punjab Police said in a tweet.
The four — all residents of Punjab — were nabbed near Bastara toll plaza after the Haryana Police intercepted them. Three containers each weighing 2.5 kg suspected to contain RDX, a Pakistan-made pistol and 31 live cartridges, besides Rs 1.3 lakh in cash, have been seized from the vehicle.
After the vehicle was intercepted in Karnal, a bomb disposal squad and forensic experts reached the spot. A case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Arms Act and the Explosive Substances Act has been registered.
The Haryana Police has constituted a special investigation team to conduct further probe in the matter.
The four — identified as Bhupinder Singh from village Bhatian in Ludhiana and Gurpreet Singh, Parminder Singh and Amandeep Singh from Vinijoke village in Zira, Ferozepur — were headed to Adilabad in Telangana to deliver a consignment of explosives.
“They were in touch with a Pakistan-based man Harvinder Singh Rinda, who is involved in terror activities and who used to send locations through an app to them to deliver explosives and weapons. Rinda used to drop weapons and explosives at a pre-designated location in the fields in Ferozepur with the help of drones,” Punia said, adding, “We are ascertaining the terrorist outfit with which they were associated.”
Punia said Gurpreet Singh, the key accused, had met Rajbir Singh, an associate of Rinda, in jail. In the FIR registered on Thursday, Rinda and Rajbir have also been named as accused.
When Gurpreet was in Ludhiana jail, he came in contact with Rajbir. And Rajbir connected him to Rinda. Earlier too, the suspects had delivered explosives at Rinda’s behest to various locations told by him, according to the FIR.
“Rinda is involved in terror activities, he supplies arms and drugs and sends location to them and their task is to transport these explosives and arms...,” he said.
The four suspects, two of whom are stated to be brothers, were produced before a court in Karnal and remanded to 10-day police custody.
The Punjab Police, in a statement later, said in a well-coordinated operation, they successfully averted a possible terrorist attack by giving a hot chase of over 300 km to the suspects and passing on inputs to their Haryana counterparts about their movement.
Giving details of the incident, Punjab DGP VK Bhawra said that central agencies earlier shared an input that some suspects, who may be carrying explosive material and weapons, are moving in the border districts of Fazilka and Ferozepur.
Subsequent to this input, police teams along with officials from central agencies were on a manhunt on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday to nab these suspects, he said in a statement.