Terror module operated from Czechia busted, three nabbed

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Tarn Taran, August 13

Ahead of the Independence Day celebrations, the Tarn Taran police today busted a terror module being run by Gurdev Singh, alias Jaisel, from the Czech Republic (also known as Czechia).

The police have arrested his three associates and seized three pistols from their possession, DGP Gaurav Yadav said in a statement today.

The DGP said Jaisel was the main operative of Canada-based gangster-turned-terrorist Lakhbir Singh (alias Landa) and Satbir Singh Satta, who were also behind the RPG grenade attack at the Sarhali police station in December 2022. They were also behind various plots of committing targeted killings in the state, he added.

Those arrested were Ashmpreet Singh of Noordi in Tarn Taran, Pardeep Singh and Sukhmanpreet (both residents of Sheron in Sarhali, Tarn Taran). The police confiscated Rs 37,500 from the accused’s possession.

“Following inputs that Jaisel has been developing a new module for terror activities in Majha area, the Tarn Taran police, in a joint operation with the Counter Intelligence, nabbed them from Tarn Taran,” said the DGP.

SSP Gurmeet Chauhan said the accused had confessed to having picked up consignments of weapons and money for terror funding to deliver these to different persons on the directions of Jaisel. Further investigation is being carried out to unearth the backward and forward linkages, he added.

Earlier, following a tip-off, Pakistan-based Harvinder Rinda, Lakhbir Landa and International Sikh Youth Federation president and Khalistani separatist Lakhbir Rode and nine others were booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act by the police.

The other persons booked in the case included Satbir Singh (alias Satnam Singh Satta), Gurdev Singh (alias Jaisal), Yadwinder Singh Yada, Gurcharan Singh (aka Guri Khehra) and Gurvinder Singh Ginda. Those working on their instructions were Sukhmanpreet Singh, Pardeep Singh (both of Sheron village), Jobanjit Singh of Malia village and Ashampreet Singh of Noordi village.

They were allegedly running extortion and drug-trafficking rackets from foreign shores for funding anti-national activities, including targeted killings, with the help of their accomplices in the country. For extortion, they targeted businessmen, doctors and rich persons by threatening to kill them.

Who is Gurdev Jaisel

• The police said a close associate of Lakhbir Landa and Satbir Satta, Gurdev Singh (alias Jaisel) was one of the masterminds of the RPG attack at the Sarhali Kalan police station in Tarn Taran district in December 2022
• He fled to Dubai in 2022, and then moved to Europe using illegal means; he has been facilitating Landa & Satta in carrying out terror activities in Punjab via his associates