Gurdaspur, Dec 2: Gurdaspur police, in a joint operation with Punjab’s counter-intelligence (CI) wing, arrested four individuals linked to last month’s grenade attack on the Gurdaspur City Police Station. The operation led to the recovery of a Chinese-type P-86 hand grenade and a cache of firearms, averting a planned follow-up attack in the border district.
The arrested have been identified as Pradeep Kumar and Gurdit, both residents of Gurdaspur, and Naveen Chaudhary and Kush, residents of Talwara in Hoshiarpur. Police recovered a Zigana pistol, a .32 bore pistol, and live cartridges from their possession.
Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Border Range, Sandeep Goel, said the November 25 attack was masterminded by Pakistan-based ISI-sponsored gangster Shahzad Bhatti and his associate Zeeshan Akhtar, with operational assistance from US-based handler Amandeep Singh, alias Aman Pannu. “Aman Pannu, a native of Gurdaspur, recruited local foot soldiers to execute terror attacks in Punjab under Bhatti and Akhtar’s directions,” DIG Goel said.
Pradeep and Gurdit were initially apprehended after intelligence-led operations. During interrogation, they revealed the involvement of Naveen and Kush, who had received a consignment of two hand grenades from Akhtar. One grenade had been handed over to the initial attack module, while the second was recovered during the arrests. “The duo was actively planning another grenade attack, which has now been foiled,” the DIG added.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gurdaspur, Aditya, said the final arrest of Naveen and Kush followed an armed confrontation near Jagatpur village. “The suspects opened fire at a checkpoint. Our teams returned fire in self-defence. Both were injured and shifted to a local hospital for treatment,” SSP Aditya said.
Two separate cases have been registered under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Arms Act, and Explosives Substances Act at Gurdaspur City and Purana Shalla Police Stations. A bomb disposal team sanitized the area and defused the remaining hand grenade.
