Pak-based terrorist Rinda, US-based gangster Passia behind Chandigarh blast

Chandigarh: The Chandigarh grenade blast was masterminded by Pakistan-based terrorist Harwinder Singh Rinda, who is backed by Pakistan’s spy agency ISI, and US-based gangster Harpreet Singh, said Punjab Police who arrested a main perpetrator in the case on Friday.

A low-intensity explosion had occurred on Wednesday at a house in upscale Sector 10 here and the owner of the house had claimed that two persons in an auto-rickshaw had hurled a hand grenade.

Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said the accused was identified as Rohan Masih, a resident of village Passia in Amritsar.

The arrest was made in a joint operation with central agencies, police said.

Police also recovered one sophisticated 9MM Glock pistol along with ammunition from his possession, he added.

“The hand grenade used in this incident is military grade equipment smuggled from across the border through drone with the help of ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence),” the DGP said.

Police identified the other accused person as well, and raids are being conducted to nab him, said the DGP, while reiterating fulsome cooperation to the Chandigarh Police in this case. Preliminary investigation revealed that Rohan, who has been working in Jammu and Kashmir for the last few years, knew gangster Harpreet Singh alias Happy Passia from their shared village.

Happy Passia instructed Rohan to carry out the attack, promising financial rewards.

DGP Yadav said during questioning, accused Rohan confessed to involvement in the grenade blast, revealing he acted at the behest of Happy Passia, who provided the hand grenade and weapons through his associates.

Happy Passia had also arranged finances and logistics for them, he added.