Ahmedabad/Banaskantha, April 5: The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), in coordination with the Special Operations Group (SOG) in Banaskantha, has arrested a wanted accused from Punjab, allegedly linked to a grenade smuggling and terror network with cross-border connections, officials said on Sunday.
The accused, identified as Bikramjit Singh alias Vicky, a resident of Nangal Panwan in Amritsar, was apprehended from a roadside eatery in Deesa, where he had been working as a casual labourer.
Officials said the operation followed specific intelligence shared by the Punjab Police regarding a wanted accused in a case registered by the Special State Operational Cell (SSOC) in Amritsar.
The information was analysed by senior Gujarat ATS officers, following which a team tracked down the suspect.
"Acting on inputs received from Punjab Police, our team located the accused at a dhaba in Banaskantha's Deesa and secured his custody for further questioning," an ATS officer said.
The accused was subsequently brought to Ahmedabad by the Gujarat ATS for interrogation.
During preliminary questioning, it emerged that Bikramjit Singh was allegedly working with Pakistan-based gangster Shehzad Bhatti and his associate Abid Jutt.
Investigators said he was involved in facilitating the supply of grenades and recruiting local individuals in Punjab into the network.
"He used to stay away from Punjab while coordinating recruitment of local operatives and played a key role in conspiracies to carry out grenade attacks on police stations and other security force units as per instructions from his handlers," the officer said.
Authorities stated that Bhatti is believed to be working for Pakistan’s intelligence agency, ISI, and is linked to terror activities in Punjab, including orchestrating grenade attacks on security establishments and prominent individuals.
In this connection, SSOC Amritsar had registered a case on April 3 under Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Section 4 of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908, and Section 25 of the Arms Act, 1959, and has arrested several accused.
Gujarat ATS said Punjab Police has been informed about the detention, and legal procedures are underway to hand over the accused for further investigation.