Punjab Police arrested four men after an attempted detonation damaged a railway track in Patiala. Investigators said the alleged ISI-backed module was planning further attacks on public infrastructure.
Punjab Police on Tuesday arrested four men and busted a Pakistan ISI-backed pro-Khalistani terror module allegedly involved in a late-night attempted detonation on a railway track in Patiala. A large quantity of militant hardware was also recovered from the accused.
A low-intensity blast near a railway track in Patiala late Monday night damaged a section of the line and triggered a multi-agency probe, officials said. The explosion, reported around 10 pm, occurred on a rail line primarily used for freight movement.
A dismembered body found near the railway tracks was later identified to be that of the unnamed assailant.
At a press briefing, DIG Patiala Range Kuldeep Chahal and SSP Patiala Varun Sharma said the module was busted within 12 hours of the attempted detonation. They identified the arrested men as Pardeep Singh Khalsa, Kulwinder Singh, Satnam Singh, and Gurpreet Singh. While the first two are from Mansa, the others are from Tarn Taran.
Initial investigations revealed that the accused were planning further attacks on public infrastructure and property, police said.
Chahal and Sharma said police recovered a hand grenade, two .30 bore pistols with ammunition, sophisticated communication devices allegedly meant for use in further detonations, and laptops used to communicate with handlers.
Police said Khalsa, the alleged kingpin of the module, was in touch with a Malaysia-based Khalistani terrorist and in contact with Pakistan-based arms suppliers.
They added that Khalsa used to send radicalised youth to Malaysia for terror training and later assign them tasks linked to terror activities. He is also alleged to have formed a radical outfit named “Chalda Vaheer Chakarwarti, Attariye”.
Police said a case has been registered under various provisions related to terrorism, explosives, and arms offences, and further investigation is underway.
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/isi-linked-khalistani-module-behind-punjab-rail-track-blast-kingpin-arrested-2902835-2026-04-28