Ludhiana police bust international gang dealing in smuggling of explosives

A PCR team’s arrest of a person with a hand grenade on Sunday has led the Ludhiana Police to bust an international gang run by its mastermind Ajay Malaysia from abroad.

Having arrested five suspects (two from Muktsar jail), the Ludhiana police are learnt to have invited central agencies for further joint investigations as the case was of cross-border smuggling of explosives and accused hailed from different states.

While the police are expected to make a formal announcement by organising a press conference soon, observations have revealed that five members of the organised terror gang, with mastermind Ajay Malaysia, have since been interrogated.

Had the police not nabbed Kuldeep Singh on Sunday and recovered a Chinese hand grenade, the suspect could have succeeded in spreading terror by bursting it at some busy place, possibly a venue of Chhat Puja celebration near Ladhowal.

The mastermind Ajay Malaysia originally belonging to Rajasthan, had initially asked Ajay of Badhayia village to transport the hand grenade from Chheharta Amritsar to Ludhiana but later Kuldeep Singh Shekhar were deployed by his (Malaysia’s) men to shift the explosive to Ludhiana and get it planted at some busy place.

All five accused nabbed by the police have a criminal record. While Ramnik is facing some drug cases Parminder Chidi was lodged in jail in connection with smuggling of weapons and a murder case.

Kupdeep Singh, who was caught on the first day, is also a mischievous character and had agreed to do the job for Rs 50,000 to be paid on shifting of grenade from Amritsar to Ludhiana.

A carpenter by profession, Shekhar is working with a Chandigarh contractor. He had coordinated with Kuldeep Singh during Diwali holidays. He had told his parents that he was going to Jammu where had shifted his family recently.

Parents of Ajay of Badhayia village have already disowned him for his antisocial elements.

Perusal of records revealed that an FIR had been registered under Sections 3,4,5 of the Explosive Act and 113 of BNS against five accused after recovery of the hand grenade during a checking at a naka on Sunday.