Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 15
Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has ordered high alert in the state following the arrest of four more members of an ISI-backed terrorist module involved in a bid to blow up an oil tanker with an IED tiffin bomb last month, making it the fourth case of a Pakistani terror module being busted in the state in the past 40 days.
Two Pakistan-based terrorists, including a Pakistani intelligence officer, have also been identified and nominated in the case in which one person was arrested earlier, DGP Dinkar Gupta said on Wednesday.
Offered Rs2L to carry out attack: DGP
- DGP Dinkar Gupta says Pakistan-based International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) chief Lakhbir Singh Rode and Pakistani intelligence officer Qasim are allegedly behind the terror module
- The four suspects arrested on Tuesday have been identified as Rubal Singh, Vicky Bhutti, Malkeet Singh and Gurpreet Singh. Their fifth accomplice Gurmukh Brar was held in August
- The DGP says Qasim and Rode had promised to transfer Rs2 lakh to the terrorist module for carrying out the blast on August 8 at 11:30 pm
Taking a serious note of the increased attempts by terror groups to disturb the state’s peace, the Chief Minister has directed the police to be on high alert, particularly in view of schools and educational institutions reopening, as well as the festival season and the Assembly polls ahead. The Chief Minister has asked the DGP to ensure high level of security arrangements to be put in place, especially in busy places, such as markets, etc, as well as at sensitive installations across the state.
The DGP identified Pak-based International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) chief Lakhbir Singh Rode, alias Baba, and Qasim, a resident of Pakistan, as those behind the terror module. Those arrested yesterday have been identified as Rubal Singh, Vicky Bhutti, Malkeet Singh, and Gurpreet Singh. Their fifth accomplice Gurmukh Brar was arrested by the Kapurthala police in August.
The DGP said the Pakistani intelligence officer, identified as Qasim, and Rode had promised to transfer over Rs 2 lakh to the terrorist module for carrying out the blast. Rubal and Vicky Bhutti were in touch with Qasim, who was working in close collaboration with Rode. Rode and Qasim had reportedly tasked the four members of the terrorist module to blast an oil tanker for causing maximum damage to people and property.
The terror attempt was made on August 8 when at 11:30 pm the Ajnala police received information that an oil tanker parked at Sharma Filling Station, Ajnala, located on the Amritsar-Ajnala road, near Bhakha Tara Singh village, had caught fire. Analysis of the CCTV footage at the filling station showed that four unidentified persons had come near the petrol pump at 11 pm and had stayed there for a few minutes before going towards the Amritsar side. The suspects returned at 11:19 pm and placed some suspicious material on the fuel tank of the oil tanker before fleeing. Then, at 11:29 pm, two of the suspects again returned, and within a minute, there was an explosion and the fire.
4 terror suspects held, state on high alert
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