Dinanagar: Explosives found, Pak-based Lakhbir Singh Rode booked

Ravi Dhaliwal

Advertisement

Dinanagar (Gurdaspur), Jan 21

The Gurdaspur police have booked Pakistan-based terrorist Lakhbir Singh Rode and four others following the recovery of explosives, including an under-barrel grenade launcher (UBGL), by the police from Dinanagar late yesterday evening.

“An FIR naming Rode, Sukh Bhikhariwal, Sukh Ghuman, Malkit Singh and Arshdeep Singh Dalla has been registered at the Dinanagar police station. Of these, Malkit Singh of Gazikot village has been arrested and the recovery was made after we interrogated him. Sukh Bhikariwal is lodged in Tihar jail and we will be bringing him here on a production warrant. A manhunt has been launched to nab the remaining accused,” said SSP Nanak Singh.

Among the recoveries made by the police were one UBGL, two live hand grenades, 3.7 kg of explosives, nine detonators and codex wires. A UBGL is a weapon that fires a specially designed large caliber projectile often with explosive, smoke or gas warhead.

Rode is a Khalistani separatist and nephew of Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale. According to police sources, Rode had been supplying explosives to his Indian accomplices. The fact that these explosives have been recovered with barely weeks to go before the Punjab polls has put the cops in a tight spot. Rode is sought for trial in India in various cases registered against him. He is wanted in cases of arms smuggling, conspiracy to attack government leaders in Delhi and spreading religious hatred in Punjab.

The SSP said the explosives could be either RDX or PETN explosives. “We have sent the explosives for testing and whether it is RDX or PETN will be known only after the report is received,” he added.

Earlier, on January 13, the police had recovered 2.5kg of RDX, a detonator, five explosive fuses, 12 live cartridges of AK-47 rifle from a terror module of the International Sikh Youth Federation.

On December 1, 1 kg of RDX was seized from an undisclosed location in Dinanagar. Two days before the seizure, the Gurdaspur police had arrested one Sukhwinder Singh from a check post. In July, 2015, the cops had seized 5.7 kg of RDX from near the Dinanagar-Pathankot railway line. Four Lashkar-e-Taiba militants had planted the explosive on the track before making their way to the Dinanagar police station.

UBGL, 2 live hand grenades seized

The police have recovered one under-barrel grenade launcher (UBGL), two live hand grenades, 3.7 kg of explosives, nine detonators and codex wires. A UBGL is a weapon that fires a specially designed large caliber projectile often with explosive, smoke or gas warhead.