New Delhi: A rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) suspected to be sourced locally and the involvement of alleged Pakistan-based Khalistan terrorist Harvinder Singh Rinda — and a local camp or gang working on his direction — are being probed by Punjab Police in connection with the attack on its intelligence office in Mohali Monday.
A case against unknown persons has been registered by Punjab Police under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act (UAPA), and the Explosives Act. The case is likely to be transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) soon.
While the blast shattered the windows of the building, it did not lead to any casualties, as the shell of the Russian-made RPG-22 used did not explode, sources in Punjab Police said. According to them, the grenade appeared to be an “old one”. The firing range of the weapon is 700 metres, they said.
“It seemed like an old grenade. The forensics team, however, will be able to comment better in the coming days. They will be submitting their reports soon,” a police source said.
The police have traced the launcher that was used to fire the grenade to a nearby field. According to CCTV footage recovered from the area, two people launched the attack from inside a car and over two dozen suspects have been been rounded up, the sources added.
“The grenade hit the roof and fell on a chair. We have found the launcher and the investigation into where the weapon came from and the people involved is on. We have detained the suspects and their questioning is on,” the source said.
Police sources also confirmed that while RPGs have been used in the past in Punjab, as well as Kashmir in the 1990s, not many have been deployed in attacks in the recent past. Because of the cumbersome process and low efficiency of this weapon, it was replaced by hand grenades, the sources said.
Following the attack, banned US-based pro-Khalistan group, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), purportedly issued a warning to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur.
“This grenade attack could have taken place at the Shimla Police headquarters,” SFJ leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said in an unverified audio message.
The SFJ threat follows a crackdown on ‘Khalistani’ flags in Himachal.
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‘The Rinda connection’
Harvinder Singh Rinda — earlier described by police sources as a “gangster-turned-Khalistani terrorist”, originally from Punjab’s Tarn Taran — has been named by Punjab Police as the mastermind of the blast. Rinda is currently suspected to be in Pakistan, said sources.
According to sources, it is suspected that a gang active in Punjab carried out the blast on his direction. Rinda, sources said, has been pumping drugs, money and weapons into Punjab.
Rinda is a history-sheeter, said the sources, and has several cases of murder, robbery, extortion, and contract killing against him. He is believed to be closely associated with Babbar Khalsa International, the pro-Khalistan terrorist organisation.
The sources added that Punjab Police “recently busted three modules linked with Rinda”.
“A group had attacked the crime investigation agency (CIA) police station at Nawanshahr, hurling a grenade on 7 November last year, and that was linked to the Rinda camp. In another similar attack on 9 March, the police post at Kalma Morh in Ropar on the Nurpur Bedi-Nangal road was attacked, damaging its side wall. His camp has been very active in Punjab and has been involved in supply of drugs and weapons,” the aforementioned source said.
The Haryana Police — in a joint operation with their Punjab counterparts — last week arrested four men from Punjab with arms and ammunition in their possession. They were suspected to be acting as “couriers” of “a large terror racket”. The four men also allegedly belonged to the Rinda camp, claimed the sources.
Sources said the attack on the Mohali office could be in retaliation to the encounter of Jaipal Singh Bhullar and his associate, Jaspreet Singh, by Punjab Police in Kolkata in June last year. Bhullar and Singh — wanted in several cases of murder and extortion, as well as drug smuggling — carried a reward of Rs 10 lakh and Rs 5 lakh, respectively.
According to police sources, Bhullar worked for Rinda.
Mobile data of over 7,000 phones
To identify the people involved in Monday’s attack, Punjab Police acquired the data of over 7,000 mobile phones active in that area on the given day between 7 pm and 8 pm — the time of the blast.
“We know that there were two men who launched the grenade from inside a Swift car. We have now accessed the data of mobile phones that were functional in the area at that particular time to help us identify the men, who may be using phones,” a second source said.
“The CCTV footage from cameras installed on that route, that the men took to flee from the spot after the attack, has also been accessed and is being analysed to identify the car and its owners,” the source added. “We are close to cracking the case.”.
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
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