Chandigarh, March 18 The Punjab Police claimed on Wednesday to have averted a major terror threat following the arrest of two men and the recovery of two hand grenades in Bathinda.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Buta Singh alias Gurpreet Singh alias Gopu, a resident of Ferozepur, and Harmander Singh alias Nikka, a resident of Moga.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the seized grenades were part of an illegal supply chain linked to cross-border elements. Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said that these were intended to disrupt peace and public safety in the border state.
Further investigations are underway to establish forward and backward linkages and to identify other individuals involved in this module, the DGP added.
Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Counter Intelligence Bathinda, Avneet Kaur Sidhu said that teams received reliable information that two operatives linked to a terror module had recovered hand grenades.
Acting on this intelligence, the police launched an operation and apprehended both suspects from the Moga-Ferozepur Road. Two hand grenades were recovered from their possession, AIG Sidhu said.
The AIG noted that swift action by the Counter Intelligence teams prevented an untoward incident and neutralized a potential threat.
A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Explosives Act at the State Special Operations Cell (SSOC) police station in Fazilka, the officer added.