Chandigarh, April 4 – The Punjab Police's Counter Intelligence Wing, in a joint operation with the Chandigarh Police, has cracked the case of the grenade attack on the BJP office in Chandigarh by arresting five individuals involved. The police also recovered one hand grenade and one .30 bore Zigana pistol, along with ammunition, from their possession. State Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said this on Saturday.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Balwinder Lal alias Shami, Jasvir Singh alias Jassi, Charanjit Singh alias Channi, Rubal Chauhan, and Mandeep alias Abhijot Sharma.
DGP Yadav stated that preliminary investigations have revealed that the group was backed by Pakistan's ISI and operated under the direction of handlers based in Portugal and Germany.
He added that the accused were part of a structured network involving multiple intermediaries and sub-modules to carry out the attack.
The DGP also identified the two main perpetrators involved in the attack.
Further investigations are underway to establish the links between the individuals involved, he added.
According to information, a grenade attack was carried out outside the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office in Sector-37, Chandigarh, on Wednesday.
Sharing more details, Assistant Inspector General (State Special Operations Cell), Deepak Pareek, said that the investigation has further revealed that the accused had transported a consignment containing hand grenades, arms, and cartridges.
He added that the consignment was circulated through multiple operatives before being handed over to the final perpetrators.
The AIG said that acting on the directions of the handler based in Portugal, the accused coordinated the delivery and execution of the attack.
Police teams are conducting raids to apprehend the absconding perpetrators involved in the attack, he added.
A first information report (FIR) dated April 3 was registered under Section 25(1) (B) of the Arms Act and Section 61 (2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita in Mohali.