The Punjab police on Friday claimed to have busted a terror module, arresting two alleged Khalistani operatives preparing to carry out terror attacks at the behest of their Pakistan handlers.
Director-General of Police Dinkar Gupta said that acting on a tip-off from the public on Thursday night, a team of the Amritsar Rural Police raided a spot near an eatery on GT Road at Jandiala and arrested Gurmeet Singh and Vikram Singh. The police seized a MP5 sub-machine gun, a 9-mm pistol with 4 magazines and two mobile phones containing a slew of conversations, messages and photographs.
“The mobile phones revealed suspicious transactions with Pakistan-based elements, including photographs, voice messages as well as the coordinates of a particular location. A large variety of posts and web-links, connected to the formation of Khalistan, was also found on the phone of Gurmeet Singh who had been in touch with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence and anti-Indian elements sponsored by the Pakistan establishment,” he said.
A case has been registered under Sections 120B and 121 of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act.
During interrogation, Gurmeet Singh, a resident of Amritsar, revealed that the photographs and voice messages had been shared with them by their Pakistan handlers to locate and pick up weapons kept by their associates. “Also, he revealed that their Pakistan handlers had been instructing them to carry out terror attacks in Punjab, especially targeting of persons belonging to a particular community, to further the cause of Khalistan,” Mr. Gupta said.
Efforts were being made to figure out the identities of the Pakistan-based handlers of the module, he said. Further investigation was under way to unearth the links of the module.