Police claim KLF- backed terror module busted; ex-soldier among 4 people arrested

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh/Khanna, July 5

Punjab Police claimed to have arrested a former soldier among four people belonging to a module they claimed was backed by the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) handlers based abroad.

The former sepoy of the Indian army was a fugitive who escaped from Patiala jail in April this year, police said.

Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Dinkar Gupta said that the suspect, Jaspreet Singh alias Noopi, had joined the army in 2012. He was in jail in connection with a murder case since 2017, the officer said.

“After escaping from Jail, Noopi came in contact with foreign-based KLF handlers who motivated and induced him to raise a terror module to carry out targeted killings in the state,” he said.

Police identified the others arrested as Jaswinder Singh from Fatehpur Bunga village in Ropar, Gaurav Jain alias Minku from Kaliawala village in Haryana’s Sirsa district, and Parshant Silelan alias Kabir, a man who was originally from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh and who currently lives in Chandigarh’s Dhanas.

Police said they stopped a car with three suspects for checking at GT Road in Khanna on the basis of a tip that they received. When their car was stopped, the three got out and started firing at the police.

Jaswinder and Minku were arrested on the spot, police said, while the other two were arrested later. Police found and impounded two .32 bore pistols along with 4 magazines and ammunition from suspects. The car they impounded bore a fake registration number, police said, adding that they suspected that Noopui had taken the car at gunpoint from Zirakpur last month.

Gupta said that Noopi had eventually confessed to having stolen the vehicle, and even robbing a petrol pump in Kharar two days ago.

Noopi disclosed that he had come in contact with militant anti-India individuals and elements based abroad with links to KLF terrorist outfit, who had funded him from abroad for carrying out target killings in Punjab and also arranged Pistols for him from UP to carry out terror acts in Punjab,” Gupta said, adding that Noopi recced sensitive targets in Punjab.

Khanna Senior Superintendent of Police Gursharan Singh Grewal claimed preliminary investigations showed that the module had received funds from abroad through various digital platforms. Their handlers also gave them weapons from Rudrapur in Uttarakhand, he claimed.

The suspects have been booked for snatching (section 379-B which reads as ‘Snatching after preparation made for causing death, hurt or restraint in order to the committing of snatching’), 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property), 34 (common intention), 307 (attempt to murder), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to prevent public servant from doing his duty) and 336 (endangering life and personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal, as well as sections of the Arms Act.