DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Punjab Police on Friday said a major target killing in the state, which was planned by proscribed outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI)-backed terror module, was averted with the arrest of three people. Punjab's Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said preliminary probe found that the module was handled by US-based gangster Gurpreet Singh alias Gopi Nawashehria, a close aide of Pakistan-based terrorist Harwinder Singh Rinda, along with his associate Laadi Bakapuria, presently based in Greece.

"In a major breakthrough, Counter Intelligence, #Jalandhar averts another major target killing in #Punjab, planned by Babbar Khalsa International (BKI)- backed terror module with the arrest of Three members of the module..," Yadav posted on X. He said arms and ammunition were also recovered. An FIR has been registered at the State Special Operation Cell, Amritsar.

According to an official statement issued later, the DGP said those arrested have been identified as Jagroop Singh, a resident of Naushehra Kalan in Amritsar; Sukhjit Singh, a resident of village Mirzapur in Kapurthala; and Navpreet Singh alias Nav, a resident of village Fatehabad in Tarn Taran.

Police teams have also recovered four pistols, including two sophisticated pistols -- .30 bore PX5 Storm (Bretta) pistol and 9MM Glock pistol -- and two country-made pistols --? .30 bore and .32 bore --? along with four magazines and 22 cartridges from their possession, he said.

DGP Yadav said that preliminary investigations have revealed that the module was allegedly being handled by USA-based gangster Gurpreet Singh alias Gopi Nawashehria, who is a close aide of Pakistan-based terrorist Harwinder Singh Rinda and was working in connivance with him. The probe has also revealed that Nawashehria, with the help of his Greece-based associate Laadi Bakapuria, was motivating youths to carry out anti-national activities in the state, he added.

The DGP said that further investigations are underway to trace backward and forward linkages in this case to dismantle the whole network.

Additional IG, Counter Intelligence, Jalandhar, Navjot Singh Mahal said that following reliable inputs, an operation was launched and police teams from CI Jalandhar apprehended Jagroop and Sukhjit with weapons while they were waiting for their other associate in a car near an underbridge at Surya Enclave in Jalandhar. Following the disclosures allegedly made by arrested accused Jagroop about the involvement of another accused Navpreet, he too was arrested, Mahal added. The AIG said that Jagroop is a habitual criminal and earlier, he had been sentenced to three years' imprisonment in a murder case in Amritsar.

(editor@dailyworld.in)