Chandigarh Blast: Punjab Police Arrest Two More Suspects Linked to ISI Module
Recent Developments in Chandigarh Blast Investigation
Chandigarh: The Punjab Police have apprehended two additional suspects in connection with the explosion that occurred outside the BJP headquarters in Chandigarh, bringing the total number of arrests in this case to seven, as confirmed by a senior police official on Sunday.
The individuals arrested are believed to be part of a module supported by the ISI, receiving instructions from handlers located in Germany and Portugal, according to police reports.
On the night of April 4, Gurtej Singh and Amanpreet Singh were taken into custody during a coordinated operation with Haryana Police, as stated by Punjab's Director General of Police, Gaurav Yadav.
Both suspects hail from the Morinda region in Punjab's Rupnagar district and were employed as bike operators at Rapido, Yadav noted.
Previously, five other suspects—Mandeep, Rubal Chauhan, Charanjit Singh, Jasvir Singh, and Balwinder—had also been arrested in relation to this incident.
The blast occurred on April 1 at approximately 5 PM, damaging several parked vehicles outside the BJP's state headquarters in Chandigarh's Sector 37, though no injuries were reported.
Initially thought to be caused by a crude bomb, it was later identified as a hand grenade, according to police findings.
The DGP revealed that Amanpreet has a criminal history, including involvement in a theft case registered in Mohali and another FIR for snatching in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh.
Gurtej Singh reportedly connected with Baljot Singh, alias Jot, a handler based in Portugal, six months prior through social media.
On March 28, Gurtej was instructed to retrieve a shipment of grenades and other weapons from the Balachaur area in Nawanshahr, Punjab, as per the DGP's statement.
This shipment included two grenades, a pistol, and ten cartridges, which Gurtej, Mandeep, and Rubal Chauhan collected from Jasvir Singh, also known as Jassi.
Jot directed Gurtej to identify targets and conduct reconnaissance, and Gurtej enlisted Amanpreet for the task, with both being promised Rs 2 lakh each for their involvement.
Amanpreet threw the grenade while Gurtej filmed the act, with their foreign handlers providing online training videos on grenade usage and mobile instructions.
The police are currently investigating the origins of this consignment, as stated by Yadav.
Earlier, five individuals linked to a module allegedly supported by Pakistan's ISI were arrested in connection with the same case.
On Saturday, the DGP announced that the Counter-Intelligence wing of Punjab Police, in collaboration with Chandigarh Police, had made significant progress in solving the grenade attack case.
Authorities recovered one hand grenade and a .30 bore Zigana pistol along with ammunition from the suspects.
Initial investigations indicated that the module was backed by the Pakistani intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence, and operated by handlers based in Portugal and Germany.
On Saturday, Deepak Pareek, Assistant Inspector General of the State Special Operations Cell (SSOC) in SAS Nagar, mentioned that the consignment of hand grenades, firearms, and live cartridges changed hands multiple times before reaching the final perpetrators.
The accused have been charged under various sections of the Arms Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the SSOC SAS Nagar Police Station.
Shortly after the blast, a 10-second video surfaced online showing a man pulling the pin from a grenade and throwing it, while another individual recorded the act.
The video did not reveal their identities, and they fled the scene just moments before the explosion. CCTV footage also captured the incident.
Sukhjinder Singh Babbar, associated with the banned Babbar Khalsa International, claimed responsibility for the explosion in a social media post on the same day.