CIA arrests four with explosives, weapons in Jalandhar

The Counter-Intelligence wing of the Punjab Police arrested four persons with a huge quantity of explosives and sophisticated weapons from near the Pathankot highway in Jalandhar, said a source on Monday.

Officials, however, refused to give further details of the case. The accused were arrested on Sunday and allegedly received the consignment sent by Pakistan-based gangster Harwinder Singh Rinda with the help of drones from across the border.

The police are also suspecting the involvement of gangster Happy Pashian, who operates from the US.

Those arrested have been identified as Amritpal Singh Jassar and Harpreet Singh, both residents of Dasuya, Jagroop Singh of Tanda and Jatinder Singh Honey of Kapurthala. The source said the accused were tasked with “targeting some persons or blow up a religious place with an agenda to create terror”.

They are also learnt to have been provided with rocket launchers, even though police officials are not officially sharing any such information.

The source said those held have been booked under Sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Explosives Act and Section 25 of the Arms Act, besides various provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The police are keeping the entire matter under wraps, especially since Leader of the Opposition Partap Bajwa have been booked for his “50-bombs-have-reached-Punjab” claim.

Bajwa, in a TV interview, had claimed that 50 bombs/hand grenades had been smuggled into Punjab, with 18 of them already used in terror activities.

Following the statement, the state police booked him for issuing “false and misleading information”.