Punjab Police avert possible target killings; members of Babbar Khalsa International held

Amritsar: In what may appear to be a major blow to organized crime in Punjab, the state police thwarted a potential threat of target killings and apprehended three members of a terror module backed by Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), said a press release on Wednesday.

The operation comes in alignment with the ongoing campaign to establish Punjab as a crime-free state, a directive from Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, said the official statement.

According to the press release, the module is being operated by Harpreet Singh alias Happy who is a close aide of designated terrorist Harwinder Singh alias Rinda, along with his two associates identified as Harbeer Singh and Navroop Singh from the USA.

Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab, Gaurav Yadav, revealed that police teams from Amritsar Rural, Commissionerate Amritsar, and SSOC Amritsar acted on reliable information, setting up a special naka in the area of Ajnala, which led to the arrest of the trio. Alongside the individuals, two .32 bore pistols, three magazines, 11 live cartridges, a Maruti Swift car (PB46AD6236), and a Splendor motorcycle were seized.

Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab, Gaurav Yadav, identified the apprehended as Jaswinder Singh, Lovepreet Singh and Gurpartap Singh who are all residents of village Ramdas in Amritsar, said the official statement.

Two .32 bore pistols along with three magazines and 11 live cartridges, one car and one motorcycle have also been recovered from their possession by the police, added the official statement.

As per the press release, DGP Yadav said that on the basis of reliable inputs, Police teams from Amritsar Rural, Commissionerate Amritsar and State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) Amritsar laid a special checkpoint in the area of Ajnala and arrested the accused trio.

SSP Amritsar Rural, Satinder Singh, said that initial investigations suggested that Harpreet Happy was involved in radicalizing and motivating youth towards anti-national activities in the state.
The police have invoked sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and further investigations are underway, said the official release.