CHANDIGARH/TARN TARAN, December 27:
Reaffirming the commitment of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to maintain peace and harmony in the state, Punjab Police in further investigation of the Sirhali Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) attack case has busted a sub-module of Canada-based terrorist Lakhbir Landa with the arrest of its three operatives after recovering a loaded RPG along with Rocket Launcher from their possession on Tuesday. The sub-module was being handled by Yadwinder Singh from the Philippines on Landa’s instructions.
Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav identified the arrested persons as Kulbir Singh, Hira Singh, and Davinder Singh, all resident of village Chambal in Tarn Taran. The Police have also booked accused Yadwinder Singh, he added.
“With the recovery of a ready-to-use fresh RPG, the Punjab Police have successfully thwarted another possible terrorist attack aimed at disturbing the peace and harmony of the state,” said the DGP.
The development came days after the arrest of seven persons, including the two juveniles in conflict with the law, who carried out the terror attack at Police Station Sirhali building in Tarn Taran at about 11.18 pm on December 9.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said that in an intelligence-led operation, Tarn Taran Police has laid a nakabandi at bridge Billianwala and arrested two bike-borne persons identified as Kulbir Singh and Hira Singh in connection with the Sirhali RPG attack.
Divulging more details, SSP Tarn Taran Gurmeet Singh Chauhan said that during interrogation, the accused revealed that they have provided one loaded RPG on the day of the RPG attack on Police Station Sirhali on the instructions of Yadwinder Singh, presently residing in Manila, Philippines. Accused Yadwinder had also sent a tutorial video on launching an RPG attack to show it to Juveniles, who fired RPG at the Police Station, he said.
During further questioning the accused disclosed that they along with another accused Davinder Singh have concealed another RPG on the instructions of Yadwinder Singh, said the SSP, while adding that the RPG along with a Rocket launcher was recovered from a pinpointed location on the banks of the river Beas in village Keedian in Tarn Taran.
He said that the Police teams have also arrested accused Davinder Singh, who disclosed that they were hatching a conspiracy to carry out another terrorist attack in the state on the instructions of Yadwinder Singh and Landa. The Police are further investigating the backward and forward linkages in this case and more recoveries and arrests are expected soon, he added.
Meanwhile, Tarn Taran Police have called Army authorities and forensic teams to examine the RPG and rocket launcher.
