DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

A cache of ammunition, including two rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and five hand grenades, was recovered from Punjab's SBS Nagar district, the state police chief said on Tuesday. Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said preliminary investigation revealed that the recovered consignment was deliberately concealed by hostile operatives as part of a premeditated plan to disrupt public order in the state.

Probe also indicated a coordinated effort by Pakistan's ISI and allied terror outfits to revive dormant sleeper cells in the state, he said.

Yadav said the Punjab Police's State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) Amritsar, in a joint operation with a central agency, recovered a large cache of terrorist hardware during an intelligence-led operation carried out at a secluded forest area near Tibba Nangal-Kular Road in SBS Nagar.

The recovery included two RPGs, two improvised explosive devices (IEDs), five P-86 hand grenades and one wireless communication set with accessories.

The DGP said these recoveries are part of the Punjab Police's sustained crackdown on terror modules sponsored by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

The Punjab Police remains firmly committed to neutralising these threats and safeguarding the state's peace and security, he added.

The development came close on the heels of SSOC Amritsar recovering a consignment comprising IEDs, hand grenades, sophisticated weapons and ammunition from an area near the Indo-Pak border in the Ajnala Sector.

Similarly, three weeks ago, Counter Intelligence Jalandhar had also busted a terror module with the arrest of four individuals after recovering one RPG, two IEDs, 2 kg RDX, one remote control, two hand grenades with detonators, three pistols along with six magazines and 34 cartridges.

Sharing more details, Assistant Inspector General of Police, Amritsar, Sukhminder Singh Mann said an FIR under relevant provisions of law has been registered at SSOC police station, Amritsar.

Further investigations are underway to identify and apprehend those responsible for concealing the recovered explosive material, he said.

(editor@dailyworld.in)