Chandigarh/Amritsar, February 11
In an intelligence-led operation amidst the ongoing drive to make Punjab a safe and secure state as per directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, State Special Operations Cell (SSOC) Amritsar has busted yet another Pakistan-backed terror module and foiled major terror plot with the arrest of one accused person and recovered one Improvised Explosive Device (IED) packed in metallic case with remote control and a foreign made Pistol along with ammunition from his possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav, here today.
The arrested accused has been identified as Shubham Kumar alias Shubham Srivastav, a resident of village Sarosa in Sitapur, Uttar Pardesh. The development came a day after Punjab Police has busted Pakistan’s ISI-backed terror module with the arrest of its operative, identified as Rahul Kumar alias Gaju of Amritsar, and recovered one RDX-based Improvised Explosive Device (IED) from his possession. Yadav said that preliminary probe has indicated that the arrested accused was in contact with a Pak-based handler through encrypted platforms. The terror consignment has been pushed from across the border and retrieved from a designated location on the city outskirts, he said. “The IED was intended for targeted attacks in multiple states including Punjab and Delhi,” said the DGP, while adding that further investigation is underway to dismantle the entire terror network.
Sharing operational details, AIG SSOC Amritsar Sukhminder Singh Mann said that police teams had received a specific information that a consignment comprising IED and weapons had pushed from Pakistan through Drone by Pak operatives, which has been retrieved by their Indian associates to carry out blasts and terrorist activities in Punjab, Delhi and various parts of the country. Acting swiftly, an operation was launched and special police teams were constituted leading to the arrest of suspect Shubham Kumar alias Shubham Srivastav, and recovery of an IED and one Pistol from the abandoned area nearby Dargarh situated on Amritsar Jalandhar GT Road.
The AIG said that probe has revealed that the arrested accused is highly radicalised and came from Uttar Pradesh to Amritsar after his handler promised lucrative amount. Accused retrieved the consignment comprising IED and weapon from a designated location on the outskirts of the city on the instructions of his handler, he said, while adding that further investigation is ongoing.
