LUDHIANA/NEW DELHI/CHANDIGARH: Former Punjab Police cop and human bomber Gagandeep Singh, whose body was discovered by the SIM, dongle and tattoo on his arm by Punjab Police, in connection with Thursday’s deadly court blast in Ludhiana had established terror links with two accused in Ludhiana jail who have been booked in Unlawful Activity Prevention Act (UAPA) even as two pro-Khalistan ultras, one each in Germany and Pakistan are under lens over a possibility of a cross-border and international conspiracy.
The New Indian has accessed the investigation details that shows two accused Sukhwinder Singh @ Boxer (who is still in Ludhiana Jail) and Kulvir Singh alias Barapind, a former Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) member. Both were booked under UAPA while Barapind was convicted in murder of a man in October this year alone. Barapind was extradited from the US for his alleged involvement in more than 20-odd criminal cases. He was also booked in the murder case of former minister Darshan Singh, father of former MP and Congress leader Mohinder Singh Kaypee. Barapind also has charges of murder, attempt to murder, Arms Act and TADA between 1991 and 1993 in Jalandhar.
Investigations have also found that Gagandeep, also known by his moniker Gaggi, could have been used by Harvinder Singh alias Rinda, who had entered Pakistan in 2019 to access the IED that was used in the court blast on Thursday.
Rinda had originally belonged to Nanded in Maharashtra but shifted to Taran Taran in 2015.
Sources in intelligence also said sleuths are on trail of Jaswinder Singh Multani, a Germany based pro-Khalistan terrorist for his connection in three border areas of Punjab, where he was allegedly supplying arms, explosives and ammunition over the last five years.
“Multani has been supplying weapons and explosives in India by using his network of Pakistan based smugglers to carry out terror strikes in India. He has been on our radar since long,” said a top intelligence official.
“Multani is believed to have fortified Sikh For Justice (SFJ)’s campaign for Khalistani 2020 referendum in Germany as well as conniving with Pakistan to foment terrorism in Punjab,” official said, who warned “Multani also tried to disturb farmers protest when he planned attacks against farmer leader Balbir Singh Rajewal for condemning the Khalistani forces’ attempt to infiltrate and derail farm protest”.
What has added chaos to Ludhiana attack that followed the sacrilege incidents is the weak Punjab Police system and repeated use of controversial and promoted police officers like Ludhiana Police Commissioner Gurpreet Bhullar — who first dominated key postings in Mohali, Jalandhar and Ludhiana during SAD and then Channi-led regimes — despite availability of eligible senior regular recruit IPS officers.
At least six terror alerts, accessed by the New Indian, a December 9 input suggests Pakistan-based ISI is planning to send two men via Kartarpur corridor as Sikhs after three weeks of commando training in Shakargarh.
“The inputs revealed that two men are Mohammad Gulzar Maghre and Mohammad Sahajada Bande,” the alert has said.
Following this, the MHA sought strengthening of vigil, surveillance in and around border regions — riverine areas where farmers cultivate wheat and paddy — across Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Batala and Amritsar. The Centre has been seeking anti-sabotage checks in and around periphery of defence lands, courts, and government offices and electronic surveillance of such areas besides a daily scrutiny of known and suspected cross border smugglers and courters who receive the support of Pakistan smugglers to bring drug and ammunition.
On Friday, the New Indian had revealed how Gagandeep was a resident of Amarjit Singh in Khanna district of Punjab, was a black sheep in Punjab Police personnel ,posted as munshi at police station Sadar Khanna . He was last booked in August 11, 2019 under the NDPS Act registered at PS STF Mohali Phase 4.
He died in this bomb blast while assembling bomb inside the court room.
These disclosures seek more severe crackdown on Punjab Police’s growing rut and involvement with drug smugglers — a case in point that has become a festering sore after state’s anti-drug STF chief Harpreet Singh Sidhu became first in 2017 to start exposing cops over their alleged involvement in drug trade.
His team had first booked an inspector Inderjeet Singh in 2017.
Later, Punjab and Haryana high court in 2018 ordered the setting up of the SIT led by DGP Sidhharth Chattopadhyay to probe the role of an SSP-rank officer Raj Jit Singh in the drug trafficking case and had ordered dismissal of inspector Inderjit in the case.