Punjab Police thwarts possible terror attack, arrests one

Chandigarh, Aug 31 With the arrest of a highly radicalised operative identified as Saroop Singh, linked with foreign-based terrorist entities, Punjab Police on Tuesday claimed it thwarted another possible terrorist attack in the border state.

The police have also recovered two Chinese-made P-86 mark hand grenades from his possession, Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta said.

The DGP said that Saroop Singh was apprehended by Tarn Taran police on suspicion at a checkpoint on the Amritsar-Harike road on Monday.

The development came at a time when the state has been witnessing huge influx of grenades and RDX-laden tiffin boxes, besides recovery of other arms and ammunition, signalling major attempts being made by terrorist leaders and anti-national elements based abroad to disturb peace and communal harmony in the state.

On August 8, Amritsar Rural police had recovered five hand grenades of similar mark along with a tiffin bomb from Daleke village in Lopoke, while the State Special Operation Cell in Amritsar had, on August 16, recovered two hand grenades of same make and model (P-86) along with other weapons from Amritpal Singh and Shammi.

Similarly, Kapurthala police had also recovered a similar consignment consisting of two hand grenades, a live tiffin bomb and other explosive material from the possession of Gurmukh Singh Brar and his associate from Phagwara on August 20.

DGP Gupta said during preliminary investigations, Saroop Singh has revealed that he came in contact with foreign-based terror handlers over social media and was further radicalised, cultivated by them and motivated to carry out terror acts in Punjab.