Chandigarh, February 10 The Punjab Police has foiled a terror plot backed by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence by recovering an improvised explosive device (IED) made with RDX and arresting one person in Amritsar, DGP Gaurav Yadav said on Tuesday.
The accused, identified as Rahul Kumar alias Gaju, a resident of Chamrang Road in Amritsar, who worked as an assistant in a salon, is being investigated.
Yadav said that preliminary investigations indicated that the accused was in contact with a handler based abroad, acting under the instructions of handlers based in Pakistan.
The investigation also revealed that Rahul had collected the IED from a designated location on the outskirts of Amritsar, following instructions from his handler, the DGP said, adding that the device was concealed in a PVC pipe casing, likely to evade detection.
An investigation is underway to determine the intended destination of the IED, the officer said.
Sharing operational details, Assistant Inspector General Sukhminder Singh Mann said that following credible intelligence about the IED being pushed from Pakistan, police launched an operation and arrested Rahul after recovering the IED from his possession.
Mann said that the accused came into contact with his handler during the latter's visit to Punjab in 2022. They remained in contact through encrypted mobile applications, the officer said.
The handler initially cultivated Rahul by providing him with small amounts to meet his expenses before tasking him with this assignment, he said.
A case has been registered at the State Special Operations Cell in Amritsar under relevant provisions of the Explosive Substances Act, the Arms Act, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.