CHANDIGARH: The Punjab police suspect that the dismissed head constable behind the bomb blast at the judicial complex in Ludhiana had links to Khalistani elements, Pakistan-based agencies and the drug mafia.
Punjab Director General of Police Siddharth Chattopadhyaya said, "The case was unravelled in 24 hours. We found several leads from the spot. We found tattered clothes and a sim card, a mobile and a tattoo on the arm of the deceased. During the course of the investigation, we found that the accused Gagandeep Singh was to attend the trial in the court on December 24 and then another trial on February 3, 2002. He remained in jail for two years and then got bail in the case. Most probably during his stay in the jail, he transitioned from just being involved in narcotics."
"We have traced the other people who were with him but I cannot give details regarding them as our investigations are still going on. We suspect that outfits from Pakistan had a hand behind the blast. I cannot say it conclusively as of now but the leads and investigation point towards Pakistan’s role in the blast. It is also indicating a Khalistani narco terrorism link. We are facing challenges from terrorism and narcotics. Narco organised crime and terrorism are a dangerous cocktail. This is one such case," said the DGP.
He said, "The initial assessment was that the deceased was carrying explosives and it turned out to be correct. Gagandeep was booked in August 2019 for possessing 385 grams of heroin and his accomplices Amandeep and Vikas were also arrested for possessing 400 grams."
When asked if RDX was used in the blast, Chattopadhyaya said the material has gone for forensic examination and this does not seem to be the case but a final report is awaited in this regard. "Also it may appear he (Gagandeep) was alone but one cannot say conclusively as in the CCTV footage some other people have been noticed and all are under investigation," he said and added that Gagandeep might have tried to create fear and panic at the court as the date of his hearing was approaching.
Chattopadhyaya said, "He was very good in computers and technical material when he was in the police. He was not a human bomb and had gone to the toilet to fix the wire as he had to place the bomb somewhere else. He was in touch with other elements of nacro terror in Punjab and abroad."
Not ruling out the pro-Khalistan connection behind the blast, he that the police are investigating the case from all angles. "Preliminary investigations suggest that Gagandeep could have developed links with pro-Khalistan elements in the jail, who have used him to target the court premises with the intention of disturbing the peace of the state,” said Chattopadhyaya.
Sources said Gagandeep's mobile phone exploded at the time of the blast. He had a dongle through which he was using the internet. The NIA and Punjab Police suspect that he was taking information from someone online about assembling and activating the bomb. A pro-Khalistani terror outfit Babbar Khalsa is suspected to be behind the blast.
According to Gagandeep’s wife Jaspreet Kaur, he had left home at about 9.30am on the day of the blast and his mobile was switched off ever since. She recognised the tattoo mark on the arm of Gagandeep and the apparel worn by him.