The North News
Chandigarh, April 19
In a major counter-terror operation, Punjab Police on Saturday claimed to have busted two separate terror modules backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and operated by Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), a banned militant organisation. The crackdown led to the arrest of 13 individuals—one of them a minor—and the seizure of rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and an arsenal of firearms.
The Director General of Police, Gaurav Yadav, said the modules were orchestrated from abroad, allegedly under the command of France-based Satnam Singh alias Satta and Greece-based Jaswinder Singh alias Mannu Agwan. “Their previous involvement in terror plots has been established in the past, including a 2010 case involving IED and RDX recovery,” Yadav noted.
Acting on intelligence inputs, two parallel operations were launched. In Jalandhar, the Counter Intelligence wing arrested four suspects and seized arms and explosives allegedly meant for a future strike. Preliminary findings suggest the accused were acting on instructions from Satta.
In a separate raid, Batala Police arrested nine more suspects, including a 17-year-old boy, following a week-long surveillance operation. All detainees are being interrogated for links to wider terror networks. “More arrests are likely in the coming days,” said Batala SSP Suhail Qasim Mir.
Seized items include two RPGs (with a launcher), two IEDs weighing 2.5 kg each, two hand grenades, 2 kg of RDX with a remote detonator, five pistols including Beretta and Glock models, six magazines, 44 cartridges, a wireless communication set, and three vehicles.
The police have registered separate cases under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Explosives Act in Amritsar and Batala.
Officials say the crackdown has thwarted an ISI-backed attempt to destabilise Punjab, a border state that has seen intermittent insurgent violence in the past.
