Punjab police bust third terror module in a fortnight

Punjab police on Sunday claimed to have busted a third terror module within a fortnight after arresting three persons who were allegedly trained by Pakistan's ISI and tasked to carry out attacks in the country.

The accused Gurdial Singh, Jagroop Singh and Satwinder Singh were arrested on Saturday. They were directly linked to the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF), an ISI-backed outfit.

"They were trained by the ISI and tasked to carry out terror attacks and target various 'anti-panthic and anti-Sikh forces/individuals' by Pakistan-based ISYF chief Lakhbir Rode, and Harmeet Singh alias Happy alias PHD," a Punjab police spokesperson said.

He said that the "major breakthrough" was achieved by the security forces, who were maintaining vigil on the occasion of the 33rd anniversary of Operation Bluestar (a military operation carried out to flush out terrorists holed up in the Golden Temple in 1984).

According to police, preliminary investigations have revealed that on May 21 the BSF had seized a consignment of arms and ammunition from near the international border in Amritsar. It was supplied by the ISYF. Two persons, Maan Singh and Sher Singh, had been arrested by the BSF last month, when they were trying to pick up the consignment.

Gurdial is a resident of Road Majara in Garhshankar in Hoshiarpur while Jagroop and Satwinder of Chandpur Rurki in Pojewal of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, the spokesperson said. A .32 bore pistol, with one magazine and 10 cartridges, and a .38 bore revolver, with seven cartridges, were recovered from them, he said.

While Gurdial and Jagroop were arrested from their native places, Satwinder from a police check-point close to his village in Pojewal police station in Balachaur sub-division.

Gurdial was the chief operative of this terror module and introduced to Lakhbir Singh Rode, who the police claimed was staying "in a ISI provided safe house in Lahore cantonment", by one Germany-based Balvir Singh Sandhu.