Arms, ammunition dropped at Punjab's Tarn Taran were hidden inside defunct rice mill in Jhabba; six arrests made so far

The Khalistani terrorists, who received arms and ammunitions in Punjab from across the border via a drone, had hid the drone and the weapons in an abandoned rice mill near Tarn Taran, a News18 India report said. The rice mill, which was shut for 15 years, is located in Jhabba, located near Tarn Taran district’s Rajoke village, where Khalistani terrorists had hid the drone and arms. The terrorists had attempted to destroy the drone by burning it. [caption id=“attachment_4765801” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Reuters[/caption] Sources told News18 India that a forensic team and security agencies have taken parts of the burnt Chinese-made drone from the mill. Additionally, Punjab Police has collected evidence to prove that Pakistan-based terror agency ISI was behind the incident and soon, a dossier prepared by them and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) will be sent to Pakistan. Earlier on Thursday, the State Crime Branch team of Punjab Police arrested Gurdev Singh , brother of a Germany-based handler of a terror module Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) Gurmeet Singh Bagga, in Amritsar for alleged involvement in the dropping of arms and ammunition by drones from across the border in Punjab. Gurdev, who is said to have been in constant touch with KZF chief Ranjit Singh Neeta, was produced before a local court and was sent to police custody till 3 October. It said that KZF was conspiring to unleash a series of strikes in Punjab and adjoining states. Singh was earlier brought to India from Thailand but was absconding after he received bail. Fake currency with a face value of three lakh was also recovered from his possession, police said. Gurdev is the sixth person to have been arrested so far. Four members of the module — Balwant Singh Bawa alias Nihang, Akashdeep Singh alias Akash Randhawa, Harbhajan Singh and Balbir Singh — were arrested from the outskirts of Chohla Sahib village in Tarn Taran. Another person, identified as Sukhdeep Singh, was arrested by a team of the organised crime control unit (OCCU) of the Punjab police with a pistol on Tuesday. Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta said that the drones were used to airdrop 80 kilogrammess of weapons in Punjab, which were to be used for attacks in Jammu and Kashmir. “Four rifles, nine hand grenades, five satellite phones, magazines and some photographs and smartphones were found. It has been found that the drone was burnt and the part which could not be destroyed was thrown in a drain,” he said. Five AK-47 rifles, 16 magazines and 472 rounds of ammunition, four Chinese-made 30 bore pistols, along with eight magazines and 72 rounds of ammunition were also recovered, according to PTI. GPS-fitted drones capable of lifting up to 10 kilogrammess flew in from Pakistan seven to eight times to airdrop the cache of arms, ammunition and fake currency seized in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district, a police probe revealed on Wednesday. It was the first incident reported in Punjab, in which drones were used to drop weapons and communication devices, among others, from across the border, an official said, adding that a half-burnt drone used in the operation was recovered from Tarn Taran. - With inputs from PTI