Punjab Police bust ISI-backed BKI module, arrest one operative

The Punjab Police have arrested a suspected operative of an ISI-sponsored Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terror module and recovered an 86-P hand grenade in a joint operation in SBS Nagar district, officials said on Monday. The operation was carried out by Counter Intelligence, Jalandhar, and SBS Nagar Police as part of the state government’s drive against cross-border terror networks.

The arrested suspect has been identified as Lakhwinder Singh alias Jola, a resident of Bairsian village in SBS Nagar.Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said preliminary investigations suggested that Singh had collected a consignment containing the grenade from a Dead Letter Box (DLB) near Adampur in Jalandhar on the instructions of handlers based abroad.

Acting on intelligence inputs, police teams arrested Singh in SBS Nagar. The grenade was subsequently recovered from Bairsian village based on information provided by the accused, the DGP said.Police said the timely operation had prevented a planned attack. Investigators are now working to establish the wider network, including the alleged foreign-based handlers, local associates and other links. The FIR has been registered at Sadar Nawanshahr police station under Sections 113(1) and 113(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 4 and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act.