Drones from Pakistan dropped arms in Punjab: DGP

Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 22

Groups based in Pakistan reportedly used a drone to drop weapons inside the Indian territory near Khalra village in Tarn Taran district earlier this month, violating Indian air space. The arms were believed to be meant for terrorists in Punjab or Kashmir, Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta told The Tribune. He said it was the first incident of its kind. 

The police had last week arrested 10 persons in Tarn Taran following a mysterious blast. The DGP said the drone incident coincided with the busting of a terror module with the arrest of four persons affiliated with the now revived Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) which was backed by a Pakistan and Germany-based terror organisation. Five AK-47 rifles, pistols, satellite phones and hand grenades were seized from the module members. 

After initial investigations revealed that drones were being used to deliver weapons and communication hardware from across the border, the Punjab CM approached the Centre, asking that directions be issued to the IAF and BSF for counter-measures to thwart any threat from drones to the border state. 

DGP Gupta said weapons were suspected to have been delivered across the border via drones by the ISI and the state-sponsored jihadi and Khalistani outfits under its command. The infiltration seemed to have been aimed at scaling terrorism and militancy in J&K, Punjab and the Indian hinterland.

Gupta said the busted module was backed by Pakistan-based KZF chief Ranjeet Singh alias Neeta and his Germany-based associate Gurmeet Singh alias Bagga  alias Doctor. With the help of local sleeper cells, they had  picked and radicalised locals and arranged funds and sophisticated weapons from across the border.

The arrested were identified as Balwant Singh alias Baba alias Nihang, Akashdeep Singh alias Akash Randhawa, Harbhajan Singh and Balbir Singh. Both Akashdeep and Baba Balwant Singh have a criminal record. The DGP said Maan Singh, now lodged in the Amritsar jail, at the behest of his handler Bagga had recruited Akashdeep Singh, when they were together in jail. Consignment recipient Baba was a Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) member, earlier arrested under the UAPA and Arms Act. Importantly, the Jammu police too had claimed some weeaks ago that three terrorists in Jammu had received a consignment of weapons from Punjab. The Punjab Police had confirmed the claim.