Attack on Gumtala police post in Amritsar: Narco-terror module busted, two held with hand grenade

The State Special Operation Cell (SSOC), Amritsar, busted a Pak-ISI backed narco terror-module being operated by US-based Harpreet Singh, alias Happy Passian, and the US-based notorious drug smuggler Sarwan Bhola with the arrest of its two members for their involvement in lobbying hand-grenade at the Gumtala police post in Amritsar, said Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav here on Tuesday.

Those arrested have been identified as Bagga Singh of Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar in Sirsa, Haryana, and Puskaran Singh, alias Sagar, of Amarkot in Amritsar. Police teams also recovered a hand grenade and two sophisticated pistols along with ammunition from their possession.

As per information, some persons hurled a hand grenade at the Gumtala police post in Amritsar Commissionerate on January 9 this year. Following the incident, terrorist organisation BKI had used social media platform to claim the responsibility for this terror act. DGP Gaurav Yadav said investigations revealed that accused Bagga Singh is a relative of Sarwan Bhola, who is the brother of notorious smuggler Ranjit Singh, alias Cheeta, currently lodged in Bathinda jail in 532 kg heroin recovery case. Pertinently, accused Sarwan Singh is also wanted in 532 kg heroin recovery case and carries Rs 2 lakh reward announced by National Investigation Agency (NIA).

He said that Accused Sarwan Bhola, who has been operating drug smuggling network from USA, has handed over his relative Bagga Singh and his associate Pushkaran to Happy Passian and Harvinder Rinda to carry out terror activities in the border state.

The DGP said that investigations are in progress in scientific manner to establish forward and backward linkages in this case and unveil the entire terror module.

Sharing operation details, AIG SSOC Amritsar Sukhminder Singh Mann said following the attack at Gumtala Police Post, police teams have launched an intelligence operation and arrested Bagga Singh from Sirsa in Haryana and Pushkaran Singh from Amritsar area leading to recovery of explosives and weapons. Further efforts are being made to discover the previous crimes committed by the accused persons and arrest remaining members of this module, he added.