Batala police seize IED comprising 2 kg of RDX

The Batala police have recovered an RDX-based Improvised Explosive Device (IED) weighing nearly 2 kg from Balpuriya village located on the Batala-Amritsar road.

The IED has been found from the same place from where the police had recovered four hand grenades last week.

Batala SSP Suhail Qasim Mir said the RDX had been concealed in a black metal box placed in bushes on the outskirts of the village.

The cops have also seized a dual-band FM transceiver set and headsets which are normally used with walkie-talkies. Police officers say the seizures “hold immense value.”

The SSP, who held a press conference today, said the consignment was placed on the directions of Nishan Singh Jodia, a UK based Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) operative. He was acting under the instructions of Pakistan-based terrorist Harvinder Singh Rinda.

The consignment was handled by BKI’s local operatives, including Ravinder Pal Singh alias Ravi of Puriya Kala village.

“Ravi has been arrested even as we have identified another accused. We have formed teams to apprehend him. This is clearly a cross-border conspiracy,” Qasim Mir said. The SSP added that the accused had collected the consignment in a ‘dead-letterbox’ manner.

In police parlance, a dead letterbox is also known as a ‘dead drop.’ It is a secret location to pass arms and ammunition or other material such as messages and money even as individuals do not have to meet each other physically. An officer said it is a method that avoids direct contact, allowing for a clandestine transfer of items through pre-arranged locations. These locations are less likely to be observed but are easily accessible for retrieval.

“We are making efforts to ensure Nishan Singh Jodia is deported to India. In this context, we have started correspondence with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Consulate-General of India in Birmingham, UK,” Mir added.