Chandigarh/Amritsar, November 26
In an intelligence-led operation amidst the ongoing drive to make Punjab a safe and secure state as per directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Amritsar Rural Police have busted a cross-border smuggling module with the arrest of two individuals and recovered one Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and two mobile phones from their possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Wednesday.
Those arrested have been identified as Akashdeep Singh alias Akash and Yuvraj Singh, both are brothers and are residents of village Ranike in Amritsar. Apart from recovering IED and mobile phones, police teams have also impounded their Motorcycle, which they were using to commit crime.
Yadav said that preliminary investigation has indicated that the duo were in contact with a Pakistan-based handler, highlighting strong cross-border links behind the conspiracy. Further investigation is ongoing to establish forward and backward linkages in this case, he said.
Sharing more details, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Border Range Sandeep Goel said that the arrested duo were hatching a conspiracy to carry out terror attack in the region to disturb the peace and harmony in the border state. Police teams are thoroughly interrogating both the arrested accused persons to identify their handlers and ascertain the involvement of other members of the module, he added.
Sharing operational details, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Amritsar Rural Suhail Qasim Mir said that acting on intel-inputs, team from Special Cell Amritsar Rural had rounded-up both the suspects and recovered the IED from their possession. Forensic teams were called on the spot, who have disposed off the IED, he said. In this regard, a case FIR number 386 has been registered under sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act and section 113 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Police Station Gharinda in Amritsar Rural.
