Chandigarh: In a major breakthrough, the Counter Intelligence wing of Punjab Police, in a joint operation with Chandigarh Police, has solved the recent grenade attack case in Chandigarh with the arrest of five accused and recovery of a hand grenade, a .30 bore Zigana pistol and ammunition.
According to Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav, 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. They hail from different districts of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.
Preliminary investigations have revealed that the module was backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence and operated under the directions of foreign-based handlers located in Portugal and Germany. The accused were part of a structured network involving multiple operatives and sub-modules to execute the attack.
The grenade attack had taken place outside the Bharatiya Janata Party office in Sector 37, Chandigarh, earlier this week.
DGP Yadav further stated that two key perpetrators involved in the attack have also been identified, and efforts are underway to apprehend them. Investigations are ongoing to establish forward and backward linkages in the case.
Providing additional details, AIG State Special Operations Cell Deepak Pareek said the accused had transported a consignment of hand grenades, arms and live cartridges, which was passed through multiple operatives before reaching the final attackers. Acting on instructions from a Portugal-based handler, the accused coordinated both the delivery and execution of the attack.
Police teams are currently conducting raids to nab the absconding accused.
A case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Arms Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Police Station SSOC, SAS Nagar.
