KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
15-Jan-2023
A probe by an intelligence agency has revealed that the two suspected terrorists arrested by Delhi Police’s special cell were being handled by the K2 (Kashmir-Khalistan) desk of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The duo, Jagjit alias Yaqub and Naushad, have revealed the names of at least two Shiv Sena leaders and two other religious leaders in Punjab who they were tasked with eliminating. Delhi Police will follow up with Punjab Police and intelligence agencies regarding this, sources said. Police said they have not been able to identify the man whose body parts they had recovered on January 14. The police are also analysing mobile communication between the two accused and their handlers - Canada-based Arsh Dalla and an ISI operative. Dalla, a permanent resident of Canada, is accused of being involved in over two dozen cases of murder, extortion and targeted killings, police said, adding a red notice by Interpol is pending against him. Dalla has been operating as an associate of terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar of Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and engaged in providing logistics for targeted killings on ISI’s instructions, sources said.
15-Jan-2023
The controversy over the Army’s desire to purchase helmets for Sikh soldiers has seen politicians cutting across party lines and religious leaders expressing their annoyance over the move. However, it is also a fact that Sikh soldiers serving in the British, Canadian and Australian armies are required to wear a helmet under combat conditions.
15-Jan-2023
According to report, the state special operation cell (SSOC) of Punjab Police has begun a thorough investigation to “tighten the noose” on alleged gangster-terrorist nexus, which is actively using virtual numbers for targeted and contract killings and smuggling of drugs, arms, ammunition and explosives from across the border. The police believe that members of the gangster-terrorist syndicate have been generating virtual numbers by using various platforms available on the public domain on internet by using their fake identification and with the help of their foreign-based associates to dodge the police. A virtual phone number provides you with the opportunity to communicate with anyone in the world at any time, using almost any internet-connected device. Virtual phone numbers offer flexible communication options and a layer of privacy.
15-Jan-2023
Punjab Police on January 15 arrested an active operative of Canada-based terrorist Goldy Brar, identified as Inderpreet Singh alias Parry (32) from Sundernagar in Himachal Pradesh. Parry, who came in contact with Goldy Brar and Lawrence Bishnoi at DAV College, Chandigarh, in 2011, had a notorious past with over a dozen cases pertaining to murder and attempt to murder registered against him in Punjab and Haryana, he said. The accused is also involved in the targeted killing of Dera Sacha Sauda follower Pardeep Singh, who was shot by six persons outside his shop in Kotkapura on November 10, 2022. He was also involved in Bishnoi’s escape from police custody.
15-Jan-2023
Pro-Khalistan activist Amritpal Singh Sandhu was admitted in an Amritsar hospital on January 15 evening after he blacked out at a public gathering in Muktsar in Sri Muktsar Sahib district. He complained of uneasiness after the episode at the Maghi Mela, where he addressed the turnout. Sources said his condition was stable although there was no official statement on his medical status.
13-Jan-2023
According to India government sources, India has raised strong objections with the local authorities of Australia in connection with the Melbourne Temple vandalism. The BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Melbourne’s northern suburb of Mill Park was defaced on January 12, with graffities against India. India asked them to initiate a probe and arrest the Khalistani group behind the incident. “Hindus live peacefully in Melbourne, but some groups are trying to creating tension between the authorities and the community. The Melbourne authorities should look into this otherwise these groups will spread here like the United Kingdom (UK) and Canada," said government sources.
13-Jan-2023
According to reports, Dal Khalsa, a radical Sikh organisation, which has for years been advocating for a separate homeland for the people of Punjab, is again harping on about a referendum in the state. Dal Khalsa will take out a march ‘Sovereignty through the right of self-determination’ to highlight its demand for a referendum in Punjab under the United Nations (UN) in the last week of January 2023. The march will be held in Amritsar on January 25 on the eve of Republic Day. A decision to this effect was passed in an executive meeting of the Sikh hardline body chaired by its president Harpal Singh Cheema.
13-Jan-2023
Ferozepur Police on January 13 arrested an associate of Canada-based gangster-turned-terrorist Arshdeep Singh alias Arsh Dalla, identified as Gurpreet Singh from near Talwandi Bhai in Moga district. He was arrested when he was coming from Moga on a bike. When he reached near Talwandi Bhai, the police party at a checkpoint signaled him to stop but the accused opened fire at them with his .38 bore revolver and tried to escape, police said. The accused was hit in the leg in return fire by police and was arrested. He was admitted to Zira civil hospital.
13-Jan-2023
According to sources, to increase the presence of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in Punjab, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) has approved the opening of a full-fledged regional office of the bureau in Amritsar. It will be headed by a Deputy Director-General of the rank of an Inspector General (IG) or above. Punjab will be the first state where drug-related cases will be pursued by two separate offices of the NCB — the existing Zonal Division in Chandigarh and the upcoming regional office. While the Amritsar office will oversee operations in the Majha and Doaba regions, the Chandigarh division will have jurisdiction over the Malwa belt.
13-Jan-2023
Police brought gangster Dilpreet Singh Dhahe on production warrant in Anandpur Sahib in Rupnagar district. Dhahe, facing murder, attempt to murder and extortion cases, was lodged at Tihar Jail in New Delhi. He was produced in court which remanded him to four-day police custody.
13-Jan-2023
Police on January 13 arrested a Khalistani suspect Jagjit Singh and his aide Naushad from Jahangir Puri in North West Delhi. Later, weapons, two hand grenades and bloodstains were found in the raid of the Special Cell from the hideout of the suspects in Delhi's Bhalswa area. According to the police, the Khalistan connection of the arrested suspects is being investigated.
13-Jan-2023
A National Investigation Agency (NIA) Court in Panchkula has declared Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terrorist Harvinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda, as a proclaimed offender in the May 2022 Bastara toll plaza (Karnal District, Haryana) case where three IEDs (improvised explosive devices) and arms and ammunition were seized. Recently, the Punjab Police had stated in a press conference that the report on Rinda’s death in Pakistan due to drug overdose wasn’t confirmed. The court on January 11 directed the NIA to furnish the list of properties, movable or immovable, owned by Rinda for attachment. As per the NIA, during the investigation it was revealed that the explosives were sent by Rinda from Pakistan.
12-Jan-2023
Two months after a news report came about the death of gangster-turned-terrorist Harvinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda due to drug overdose in Pakistan, the intelligence agencies have found some fresh “substantial evidences” to show that he may be “alive”. The issue was discussed by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) recently during a meeting with officials of intelligence agencies and National Investigation Agency (NIA). As per media reports, Rinda, a wanted terrorist carrying a reward of Rs 10 lakh announced by the NIA, died at a hospital in Pakistan’s Lahore in November. A few days ago, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla held a meeting with officials of intelligence agencies and the NIA to discuss resurgence of terror activities in Punjab.
12-Jan-2023
Akal Takht and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) opposed an Army’s proposal to introduce ballistic helmets for Sikh soldiers, demanding that the move must be withdrawn. Akal Takht’s officiating Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh termed it an “attack on the Sikh identity” and asked the Ministry of Defence, the Centre and the Army to reconsider the proposal as it was against the Sikh “rehat maryada” (tenets). He claimed the British had also tried to introduce a similar proposal during the World War II, but then Sikh soldiers had rejected it.
10-Jan-2023
With the arrest of 16 persons, including two Afghan nationals, over a period of two months, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has exposed an international syndicate of drug smugglers involving white-collared criminals, who used to mint quick money and invest it in liquor business, rice mills, ghee trading and agencies of reputed brands, to mislead the NCB. During investigation, the Narcotics Control Bureau found that the group was operating night clubs and restaurants in the Tricity and region. Officials said drug smugglers procured the contraband from their links in Afghanistan and Pakistan, a set of couriers took care of transportation from Mundra Port, the ICT Atari and Jammu border, two Afghan chemists processed opium and morphine into heroin and other variants in Ludhiana and criminals and gangsters distributed it. A special investigation team has now been formed and supported by investigating officers from other NCB zones. Specialised financial and technical investigation teams are already probing deeper into the syndicate. More than 60 bank accounts of this group and 30 properties purchased with the drug money have been frozen.
09-Jan-2023
In a major success, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested one major logistics provider for the gangsters, identified as Chhotu Ram Bhaat in Sirsa in Haryana. According to the officials, Bhaat was acting as a weapons supplier and was also providing hideouts to the gangsters of the Bambiha group.
09-Jan-2023
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) declared Canada-based gangster Arshdeep Singh Gill, alias Arsh Dalla, a designated terrorist after discovering his involvement in crimes such as murder, extortion, targeted killings, and terrorism. According to MHA notification, Gill is associated with the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and is accused of various offences, including targeted killing, extortion for terrorism funding, attempted murder, inciting communal strife, and spreading terror in Punjab. The UMHA in a statement said that Arsh Dalla has been designated as a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 due to his involvement in cross-border smuggling of drugs and weapons and association with the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Arshdeep Singh Gill, who is originally from Ludhiana but currently resides in Canada, has been accused in various cases by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), including targeted killing, extortion for terror funding, attempted murder, inciting communal unrest, and inciting fear among the people of Punjab. This marks the fifth individual to be designated as a terrorist in the past week, all of whom are based in countries including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, and Canada. According to UMHA, Gill is closely connected to Hardeep Singh Nijjar and is involved in running terror modules on behalf of Nijjar. Gill has been involved in crimes such as murder, extortion, and targeted killings, as well as terror financing and the large-scale smuggling of drugs and weapons across borders. As a result, the Central Government has added Gill as a terrorist under section 35 of the UAPA. This will make Gill the 53rd individual to be designated as a terrorist under the Act.
09-Jan-2023
Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav on January 9 asked officers to adopt zero tolerance against drug peddlers, terrorists and gangsters, asking them to use effective law against anti-social elements and also invoke the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in terror activities. The DGP held a virtual meeting with officers and asked them to identify the drug hotspots at every police station and lay special focus on pharmaceutical drugs to root out the menace from the state. He warned that the concerned SHOs (Station House Officers) will be held responsible in case of leniency in drugs related cases.
09-Jan-2023
The Border Security Force (BSF) fired 74 rounds at a Pakistani drone that twice intruded into Indian territory near the Adhian border outpost in Gurdaspur on January 9 night. The drone was sighted in the Dorangla block. Incidentally, this area became a favored destination for Pakistan to push in drones. The drone retreated after the BSF fired at it but returned 20 minutes later.
09-Jan-2023
Inspector General of Police (IGP) headquarters Sukhchain Singh Gill on January 9 said that Punjab Police have arrested as many as 9917 drug smugglers, including 1447 hardened criminals, since July 5, 2022. Police have registered a total number of 7,533 first information reports (FIRs) of which 852 are related to commercial quantity. He said, “Police teams have recovered 418.44 kg heroin from across the state after carrying out cordon and search operations in drug-affected areas besides laying checkpoints at vulnerable routes across the state. Additionally, 147.5 kg heroin was recovered from seaports of Gujarat and Maharashtra, taking the total effective recovery of heroin to 565.94 kg in just six months.” Gill said that police have also recovered 407 kg each of opium and ganja, 233 quintals of poppy husk, and 33.88 lakh tablets/capsules/injections/vials of pharma opioids from across the state.
09-Jan-2023
The Border Security Force (BSF) on the intervening night of January 9 and 10 busted a narco-terror attempt from across the border and seized 5 bottles possibly filled with heroin weighing of 2.5 kg and also a 500-grams heroin packet near Wan Village of Tarn Taran district.
08-Jan-2023
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) said on January 8 that Lakhbir Singh Rode, nephew of deceased Khalistani militant leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and head of banned Khalistani outfit International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF), had planned the December 2021 Ludhiana court complex blast, in which suspected bomber Gagandeep Singh was killed and six people injured. Rode had conspired to carry out bomb blasts in various places in Punjab and used Pakistan-based smugglers to execute his plans, the NIA said. The NIA filed a charge sheet before a Mohali court, naming Gagandeep Singh, Surmukh Singh alias Sammu, Dilbagh Singh alias Baggo, Rajanpreet Singh and a Pakistani national Zulfikar alias Pahalwan, who it said were part of the conspiracy. NIA has already filed a charge sheet against Rode in March 2022. “During investigations, it has been revealed that Lakhbir Singh Rode, Pakistan based ISYF terrorist handler, had planned to execute IED blasts at various locations in Punjab. In order to execute his plans, he, in association with Pakistan based smugglers, recruited India based operatives to smuggle IEDs and to carry out blasts to cause maximum casualties and to strike terror among the general public,” the NIA said in a statement.
08-Jan-2023
According to report, Army has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for emergency purchase of nearly 13,000 helmets for Sikh troops through fast-track procedure. The RFP, which is in public domain, was issued by the Army on January 5, 2023 for 12,730 ballistic helmets. Of these, 8,911 are needed of large size while 3,819 are required to be in extra-large size. The helmets need to be of central bulge design and as per advanced combat design to suit the head size of Sikh troops who sport unshorn hair on their heads as per religious requirement.
08-Jan-2023
The police on January 8 arrested two persons, identified as Pankaj (29) and Stanley Joseph (23) along with 1.2 kg of charas from their possession from near Lamini Government College in Pathankot district.
07-Jan-2023
Punjab Police, in a joint operation with Central Agencies arrested an Army personnel, posted as Sepoy in Pathankot and his aide, Paramjeet Singh alias Pamma after recovering 29 packets of heroin, weighing 31.02 kilogram, from their possession in Fazilka in Fazilka district on January 7.
07-Jan-2023
The Punjab Police in the morning launched massive raids on suspected hideouts of persons linked with Gangster turned Terrorist Arshdeep Singh alias Arsh Dalla. According to Police, searches were planned after the questioning of several persons in the recently busted modules backed by Arsh Dalla. During the search operation, as many as 192 Police parties searched the premises of at least 232 persons linked with Dalla. Dalla is a notorious gangster turned terrorist involved in various criminal activities in Punjab and abroad and is a most wanted criminal by the Punjab Police. He is a Category-A gangster turned terrorist and is a Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) operative, which is a banned terrorist organisation. In 2020, after committing the murder of one of his associate, Sukkha Lamme, he escaped to Canada.
07-Jan-2023
Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Ashwani Sharma on January 7 raised concerns over the 'deteriorating' law and order situation in the state and claimed that leaders of the saffron party were receiving threat calls. Sharma alleged that police officials were not acting on their complaints as if they were not allowed to act. He questioned Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann why he was silent about the claims of Khalistan supporter Gurpatwant Singh Pannun that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government was formed in Punjab with their support. “Perhaps this is the reason that crime has increased because the government had given Khalistan supporters free hand,” he added.
07-Jan-2023
According to reports, Indian Army troops belonging to the Sikh community will now soon be receiving ballistic helmets, designed especially for them to wear on their turbans. Army officials are describing this procurement as the first such order for the Sikh soldiers. The Indian Army is planning to purchase as many as 12,730 ballistic helmets under emergency procurement using the fast-track mode. The Ministry Of Defence will buy two types of helmets including 8,911 large helmets and 3,819 extra-large helmets which will be procured with the condition that their content must include majorly indigenous design as mentioned in the official document of the ministry. For Sikh soldiers in the Indian army, who are banned from cutting their hair due to religious beliefs, choosing to wear a helmet has always been a personal choice. But often for safety reasons especially in active areas like the Northeast or in Kashmir, wearing a helmet may have been preferable. However, the fact that hair was covered by a turban in many cases could have posed a problem, calling for the need for specialised helmets.
07-Jan-2023
Ghanshyam Singh Lodhi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha MP (Member of Parliament) from Rampur district of Uttar Pradesh said that he received threatening messages on WhatsApp in the name of ‘Lashkar-e-Khalsa Sandeep Singh Khalistani’. He complained that the terror organization threatened to kill him after registering an FIR at the Civil Lines police station. The text message found on WhatsApp said that if the case is not withdrawn, he will be killed. Earlier, he received threats through WhatsApp, after which an FIR was lodged.
06-Jan-2023
The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) urged Akal Takht officiating Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh to act against the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) for not complying with the directions of starting its own channel while letting a private channel to hold exclusive rights to telecast Gurbani from the Golden Temple.
05-Jan-2023
The Punjab and Haryana High Court (HC) expressed deep concern over the rising number of youths in India getting addicted to drugs and peddling. “This country has one of the largest number of youths, a factor to power economic growth, but an overwhelming majority of addicts are amongst these youths, which has resulted in increase of crime and violence,” observed the court. The HC added that the lives of the citizens are being destroyed due to the selling of these banned substances.
05-Jan-2023
According to the Border Security Force (BSF), a 62-year-old Bangladeshi national, identified as Mohammed Mahmud Alam Tulu was arrested by the BSF from near the International Border (IB) in the forward area of Roranwala Khurd village in Amritsar district on January 5 night. The man was approaching the border fence from the Indian side and going towards Pakistan, the spokesperson said.
04-Jan-2023
The Counter Intelligence Wing of the police has recovered 5 kg heroin and detained one person in this connection in Amritsar.
04-Jan-2023
The Border Security Force (BSF) suspects that the Pakistani intruder whom it shot down early on January 3 in the Gurdaspur sector was a terrorist intrusion mission’s scout. According to Punjab frontier’s former BSF inspector general M S Malhi, he had all the signs of a guide sent ahead to test the infiltration route. This intruder had a pump action gun, which is not so lethal as a conventional assault rifle. He was alone and not even smuggling arms or drugs into the country, which supports the theory that he was a scout. Malhi said, “Even drones can deliver weapons and drugs these days, so a man wouldn’t be risked unless required to lead armed intrusion.” On why the Pakistani side will choose the Channan outpost area for infiltration, he said it had a cross-border tunnel found recently, and the intruder’s accomplices might have retreated through a similar underground passage after he was shot dead.
04-Jan-2023
Punjab Police’s special task force arrested an alleged drug peddler, identified as Jassi Kumar (21) after recovering 920 gm heroin from his possession at a checkpoint in the Moti Nagar area in Ludhiana district. Police said he has been involved in the drug trade in the area for the last few years. The scooter used by the accused in the crime has also been impounded.
04-Jan-2023
An electrician, identified as Paramjit Singh (45) was shot dead by two armed persons at his house in Bardeke village near Jagraon in Ludhiana district. According to reports, the assailants fired four bullets, killing him on the spot. There were reportedly three persons who came in a car and two of them entered the victim’s house. The incident was captured on CCTV cameras installed in the house. Meanwhile, after the incident, a Facebook post by Jaspreet Singh, who claimed to be Canada-based fugitive gangster Arsh Dalla, took the responsibility for the murder. In the post, he said Paramjit had been murdered as he had “mentally harassed” a person at Minian village due to which he had “committed suicide”. “.. My younger brother Dilpreet Dhaliwal of Minian village was harassed and he died by suicide because of this man.. so I got him killed to take revenge of my brother’s killing…,” said the post, while tagging accounts of other gangster groups, including Jaipal Bhullar-Jassi gang and Davinder Bambiha gang. An officer from Ludhiana rural police said that it was suspected that Jaspreet Singh, from whose account the post has been uploaded, is slain gangster Jaspreet Jassi of Kharar. “Maybe his account is being misused to mislead the police,” said the officer.
03-Jan-2023
Police on January 3 arrested a resident of Prem Vihar, identified as Sunil Kumar along with 6 gm heroin from his possession near the Shiv Mandir in the Daulatpur colony in Ludhiana District.
03-Jan-2023
The Border Security Force (BSF) seized a damaged drone along with 782 gm of heroin from near the Kassowal border out post (BOP) in Gurdaspur sector in Gurdaspur district on January 3 night and the contraband was handed over to the police.
03-Jan-2023
The pro-Khalistan group, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) issued a warning for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi ahead of his Bharat Jodo Yatra which will enter Punjab on January 11. The Khalistani group once again threatened the Congress leader and challenged him to walk on the streets of Punjab. The group in the video said that a "bomb found in the park near CM Bhagwant Mann's Chandigarh residence could also have been found on the helipad."
03-Jan-2023
Slogans in favour of Khalistan were found written on the walls of the SSP office in Sri Muktsar Sahib in Sri Muktsar Sahib district. Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), a banned Khalistani terror organization based in the US, released a video taking responsibility for the act. Reportedly, the incident took place outside SSP Upinderjit Singh Ghuman's office where the walls were defaced with various slogans. Slogans like ‘Khalistani Zindabad’, ‘Rahul Gandhi Bharat Jodo Yatra’, Indira Gandhi assassination, etc were written on the wall. Later, SFJ leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun released a video of himself talking about various incidents in Punjab including bomb found near Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann’s office, Khalistani slogans written and also spoke about Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination.
03-Jan-2023
The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which has been investigating multiple cases related to the smuggling of drugs, explosives and weapons from Pakistan into Indian territory using drones, is likely to look into January 2’s seizure of a drone by the Border Security Force (BSF) in Gurdaspur in Punjab for clues. It carried a consignment of one-kg heroin. The NIA has so far detected two modules comprising alleged members of banned terror outfits. Based on the findings, it has arraigned 12 accused persons in these cases.
03-Jan-2023
A day after an abandoned bombshell was found in a mango orchard near Nayagaon, Punjab-Chandigarh border, Chandigarh Police has ruled out a terror angle. In an official release issued on January 3, police said it appears to be a shell from old ammunition, and some scrap dealer must have dumped it there. The Army, however, is yet to release its detailed analysis report.
03-Jan-2023
Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann on January 3 directed officers to confiscate the property of those involved in drug peddling to counter the drug menace in the state. Chairing a meeting to review the law-and-order situation in the state, Mann reiterated the firm commitment of the state government to wipe out the scourge of drugs from the state. He said the government had already put the big fish involved in drug peddling behind the bars and to ensure stern action, the property of drug peddlers must be seized with immediate effect. The CM said necessary amendments, if any required, in the requisite laws will be duly made and the officer in whose jurisdiction drugs are sold would be held accountable for this lapse.
03-Jan-2023
A Pakistani intruder was shot dead by the Border Security Force (BSF) on the International Border (IB) near Gurdaspur in Gurdaspur district on January 3 morning. The accused who crossed the border was neutralised by the 72nd Battalion of BSF at around 8 am when BSP troops were on their routine patrolling. According to the reports, a pump action shotgun was recovered from the Pakistani intruder.
02-Jan-2023
A live bomb shell was recovered in the fields on the Nayagaon-Kansal Road in Chandigarh, which is about one kilometer away from the helipad and about two kilometers from the official residences of Punjab Chief Minister (CM Bhagwant Mann and his Haryana counterpart Manohar Lal Khattar. An official of the disaster management department who reached the spot said that the police control room received a message that a bomb-like object had been seen near the Kansal and Nayagaon T-point. "When we checked it and found that it was a live shell," he said, adding the area has been sealed. "It is a matter of investigation how this shell reached the spot," the official said.
02-Jan-2023
Rupnagar district police claimed to have arrested six accomplices of dreaded gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria and seized 12 pistols along with 50 live cartridges in Ropar on January 2. One of the accused, Varinderpal Singh, was allegedly operating under the code name 777 from Amritsar jail. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vivek Sheel Soni said the accused were also involved in the smuggling of weapons and drugs in the state on a large scale. Earlier on December 15, the police had arrested four such accused and recovered four pistols from them.
02-Jan-2023
The Border Security Force (BSF) on January 2 recovered another Pakistani drone with a consignment of approximately 1 kg of heroin near the International Border (IB) in Gurdaspur sector. According to BSF, it was an “old broken” drone (Hexacopter) which was found at a distance of two km from the IB by its troops under Border Out Post Kossowal in Gurdaspur.
01-Jan-2023
According to sources, there has been a fourfold spike in the number of drones being sighted in Punjab coming from Pakistan to deliver narcotics, weapons, explosives and ammunition. From January 2022, around 254 drones were sighted of which 22 were shot down by BSF. In 2021, 67 drones were spotted. Sources said, of the 254 drones spotted in 2022, BSF troopers fired at these drones on 226 occasions. As many as 22 drones were brought down and captured (nine were shot down and another 13 fell due to various reasons). Also, while 221 drone activities were detected inside the Indian territory and 22 inside Pakistan. Some 311 drones were spotted in 2022 across the entire western border — Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. In 2021, around 104 drone activities were recorded and 77 in 2020. Around 75% of sightings were in Punjab of the total drone activities reported along the western border this year. While in Punjab, as many as 133 drones coming from across the border were sighted by the BSF in 2020 and 2021, out of which 67 drones were sighted in 2021. A senior BSF officer said each BSF ‘hit’ team at the border that brings down a drone through rifle firing or using jamming technology is rewarded with a cash incentive of Rs 1 lakh. “This incentive is meant to motivate the troopers battling the drone menace,” said the officer.
01-Jan-2023
According to Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) sources, four districts of Punjab along the border with Pakistan reported essentially the most variety of drone sightings final 12 months, and most of them had been China-made and that 22 had been shot down, resulting in seizure of narcotics, arms and explosives. The Border Security Force (BSF) has recognized Amritsar, Ferozepur, Gurdaspur and Fazilka on the worldwide border the place greater than 85% of payload originating from throughout the border was dropped. Citing BSF knowledge, the officers mentioned that out of 200 drone sightings between July and December, 176 had been recorded in these four districts. Of the 22 drones introduced down by BSF this 12 months, 21 had been in these districts – up from one final 12 months.
31-Dec-2022
According to reports, Intelligence agencies have received information that pro-Khalistan elements are planning to detonate IEDs in court premises in Delhi, Ludhiana and Jalandhar. Sharing this input with the local police, the security system has been asked to be strengthened. Intelligence also warned that the possibility of a similar attack on any other court complex in Punjab (except Ludhiana and Jalandhar) cannot be ruled out. Sources said that the alert was issued based on some chats related to Germany-based Khalistan terrorist Jaswinder Singh Multani. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has offered a reward of Rs 10 lakh to Multani.