Foreign-directed grenade terror plot foiled; 3 held

Gurdaspur: Three arrests and two seized hand grenades have foiled a foreign-directed terror plot in Punjab, resolving a public security scare that began last month with a failed bombing.Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Aditya announced on Sunday that the arrested men were Amarjit Singh ‘Billa', Karanjit Singh ‘Karan', and Satnam Singh. Punjab Police and counter-intelligence officers began their joint investigation on April 27 after a grenade found near a shop on Gurdaspur's Geeta Bhawan Road was defused. "We used CCTV footage, human intelligence, and technical analysis to identify two suspects on a motorcycle who had thrown the grenade," SSP Aditya said.Following the initial arrests, police seized a second hand grenade hidden at Amarjit Singh's house and found his network's overseas handler had supplied the two explosive devices. Initially they charged the trio under sections 4 and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act at the Gurdaspur City police station.Investigators have since added charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), country's primary counter-terrorism law. SSP Aditya said they will now map the network's local support structures and foreign contacts. Police expect further arrests and asset seizures.