CHANDIGARH: The Border Security Force (BSF) and Punjab Police allegedly foiled a terror plot and recovered a cache of arms and ammunition from near Bharopal village in Amritsar district.
Sources said that acting on tip off from the intelligence wing of BSF a joint search operation was conducted Wednesday evening leading to the recovery of two hand grenades, three pistols with six magazines and 50 live rounds which was later handed over to the state police for further investigation.
"The swift and coordinated action with Punjab Police has prevented a possible terror incident," said a BSF official.
Meanwhile, in another operation, Punjab Police recovered 5 kilograms of heroin from the rented hideout of one Jodhbir Singh alias Jodha, who is wanted in a Pakistan-backed illegal weapon smuggling module in Amritsar.
Director General of Police, Punjab, Gaurav Yadav said here on Thursday that the development came four days after Counter Intelligence unit of Amritsar arrested Jodhbir’s accomplice, identified as Abhishek Kumar, of village Meerankot Kalan in Amritsar. He was supplying weapons to anti-social elements on the instructions of his Australia-based handler identified as Jassa.
Police teams had also recovered seven pistols and Rs 1.5 lakh cash from his possession, besides, impounding his Mahindra Thar vehicle which was used for weapon smuggling.
Yadav said that preliminary investigation revealed that Australia-based handler Jassa and his associates with links to Pakistan-based smugglers were directing accused Jodhbir to retrieve heroin consignments for further distribution at different locations.
Further intelligence also indicates that accused Jodhbir Singh also collects drug proceeds and remits them to Pakistan through hawala channels, he said, while adding that the accused, who remains at large, is now implicated in a dual nexus of narcotics and weapon smuggling.
Sharing operation details, Yadav said that following the trail of accused Jodhbir, CI Amritsar police teams have found that the accused got an accommodation in the Varindavan Garden Colony at Fatehgarh Churian Road in Amritsar, where he has stored a huge quantity of heroin and was also using rented house as safe haven.
Acting swiftly, Police teams raided the house and managed to recover 5kg heroin along with currency counting machine from the house, while, accused Jodhbir has been absconding. “Police teams are on manhunt to apprehend accused Jodhbir,” he said.
A fresh case has been registered under sections 21, 25, 27-A and 29 of the NDPS Act at Police Station State Special Operation Cell, Amritsar.