CHANDIGARH: The Counter-Intelligence wing of the Punjab Police, in a joint operation with Chandigarh Police, and with the assistance of Haryana Police arrested the two main accused over the grenade attack that took place outside the Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office in Chandigarh.
The accused were arrested in Rewari, Haryana, completing the unravelling of a Pakistan’s ISI-backed terror module within 48 hours of the initial arrests. The accused were allegedly promised Rs 2 lakh by their handlers -- Baljot Singh, alias Jot, based in Portugal and Harjeet Singh Laadi, based in Germany -- for carrying out the attack.
Punjab DGP, Gaurav Yadav, said here on Sunday that those arrested have been identified as Gurtej Singh and Amanpreet Singh, both residents of Rattangarh in Rupnagar.
Amanpreet Singh has prior criminal record, with FIRs of theft and snatching registered against him in SAS Nagar and Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh, respectively.
The development came a day after five accused— Balwinder Lal alias Shami, Jasvir Singh alias Jassi, Charanjit Singh alias Channi, Rubal Chauhan and Mandeep alias Abhijot Sharma— were arrested and one hand grenade along with one .30 bore Zigana pistol were recovered from their possession.
DGP Yadav, while addressing the press conference here, said that with these latest arrests, all seven accused involved in the case are now in police custody.
Acting on the directions of their foreign-based handlers, the accused coordinated the delivery and execution of the attack, he said, adding that the accused used multiple cutouts and sub-modules to execute the attack.
Yadav said that during preliminary questioning, the accused Gurtej Singh disclosed that he had come in contact with a foreign-based handler approximately six months ago via a social media platform.
Acting on the handler's instructions, Gurtej, along with his co-accused Rubal Chauhan and Mandeep alias Abhijot Sharma, collected the consignment of arms and grenades from Jasvir alias Jassi at Bharapur village in SBS Nagar on March 28, 2026, he said, while adding that, Gurtej subsequently took Amanpreet Singh along to carry out the attack.
Acting on the handler’s instructions, Gurtej, along with co-accused Rubal Chauhan and Mandeep alias Abhijot Sharma, collected a consignment of arms and grenades from Jasvir alias Jassi at Bharapur village in SBS Nagar on March 28, 2026, he said.
Gurtej later took Amanpreet Singh along to carry out the attack. Yadav said that on April 1, after conducting a recce, Amanpreet Singh hurled the grenade while Gurtej Singh recorded the act on his mobile phone at the handler’s behest. Both accused then fled the scene.
Yadav thanked the DGPs of Chandigarh and Haryana, and appreciated the significant role played by the Chandigarh Police and the Haryana Police’s STF in unraveling the conspiracy and nabbing the accused.
The blast outside the Punjab BJP office in Chandigarh was seen as a targeted strike aimed at creating communal tension and generating fear ahead of the Assembly elections in the state, due early next year. The attack also triggered a fierce political slugfest, with the BJP, AAP, Congress, and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) trading barbs and attempting to score political points.