Ludhiana Police foil major terror bid; grenade attack averted, 10 arrested

In a major breakthrough, the Commissionerate Police, Ludhiana, have foiled a terror plot aimed at triggering unrest in Punjab by carrying out a grenade attack in a crowded area of the city.

10 people have been arrested.

Swapan Sharma, Commissioner of Police, Ludhiana, said: “Acting on credible intelligence inputs, police registered a FIR on October 27, under Sections 3, 4, and 5 of the Explosives Act and Section 113 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Police Station Jodhewal. The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) has also been invoked, and Red Corner Notices (RCNs) have been issued against foreign-based suspects.”

The FIR names Kuldeep Singh, Shekhar Singh, and Ajay Singh, all residents of Sri Muktsar Sahib, as prime accused. Special investigation teams were constituted under the supervision of the DCP (Investigation) and DCP (City) to ensure effective action.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the accused were acting under directions from Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) through their overseas handlers. They were allegedly instructed to execute a grenade attack in a densely populated area to create panic and fear among the public.

The foreign-based masterminds have been identified as Ajay, Jass Behbal, and Pawandeep, all residents of Malaysia and originally from Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan. Police said the trio, currently living together abroad, maintained regular contact with local facilitators Amrik Singh and Parminder, both previously involved in drug smuggling.

During the investigation, Vijay, brother of Ajay (Malaysia) and currently lodged in Sri Ganganagar Jail in connection with an NDPS Act case, was also arrested on a production warrant for allegedly coordinating logistics for the group.

The probe further uncovered a local network responsible for the delivery of the hand grenade in Punjab. Those arrested for their roles as couriers and facilitators include Sukhjit Singh and Sukhwinder Singh, both from Faridkot; Karanveer Singh, from Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan; and Sajan Kumar, from Sri Muktsar Sahib.

Police recovered one Chinese-made hand grenade, a black kit, and a pair of gloves from the accused.