ISI-BACKED FOREIGN-BASED HANDLERS PROMISED REWARD OF ₹2L FOR CARRYING OUT THE ATTACK: DGP GAURAV YADAV
CHANDIGARH, April 5: Punjab is becoming a safer state under the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann. The Counter Intelligence wing of Punjab Police is taking swift action in the Chandigarh grenade attack case. In a joint operation with Chandigarh Police and with the assistance of Haryana Police, they arrested the two main perpetrators. These individuals had lobbed a hand grenade outside the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office in Sector 37, Chandigarh. They were arrested from Rewari in Haryana, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Sunday.
“Police have arrested two suspects in a major crackdown! Officers identified the men as Gurtej Singh and Amanpreet Singh, both residents of Rattangarh, Rupnagar. While Gurtej is in custody, Amanpreet Singh carries a heavy criminal past. He has active theft FIRs in SAS Nagar. There are also snatching charges already filed against him in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh.”
Chandigarh grenade attack : How ISI handlers Baljot Jot and Harjeet Laadi controlled the module.
The development occurred a day after the arrest of five accused. “In a massive joint operation, the Punjab and Chandigarh Police have dismantled an ISI-backed terror module and arrested five operatives in connection with the Chandigarh BJP office blast. The police identified the arrested suspects as Balwinder Lal alias Shami, Jasvir Singh alias Jassi, Charanjit Singh alias Channi, Rubal Chauhan, and Mandeep alias Abhijot Sharma. During the raid, security forces recovered a live hand grenade and a sophisticated .30 bore Zigana pistol from their possession, effectively thwarting further potential attacks in the state.”
DGP Gaurav Yadav addressed the press conference here. He stated that with these latest arrests, all seven accused involved in the case are now in police custody. The DGP was accompanied by ADGP Counter Intelligence Amit Prasad. ADGP Internal Security SK Verma and IGP Intelligence Dr Sukhchain Singh Gill were also present. AIG SSOC SAS Nagar Deepak Pareek joined them as well.
“DGP Gaurav Yadav revealed today important information. ISI-backed foreign handlers motivated the arrested accused. They directed them to carry out the Chandigarh blast. He identified the key handlers as Baljot Singh, alias Jot, based in Portugal, and Harjeet Singh Laadi, based in Germany. The DGP further disclosed that these handlers promised the module a monetary reward of ₹2 lakhs. This reward was for successfully executing the attack on the BJP headquarters.”
Gurtej and Amanpreet Arrested: Did the blast while filming
Acting on the directions of their foreign-based handlers, the accused persons coordinated the delivery and execution of the attack, he said, while adding that accused persons used multiple cutouts and sub-modules to execute the attack.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said that during preliminary questioning, accused Gurtej Singh disclosed that he had come in contact with a foreign-based handler approximately six months ago via 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 Village Bharapur in SBS Nagar on March 28, 2026, he said, while adding that, Gurtej subsequently took Amanpreet Singh along to carry out the attack.
The DGP 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 thereafter fled the scene, he said.
DGP Gaurav Yadav thanked the DGsP of Chandigarh and Haryana. He appreciated the significant role of Chandigarh Police and STF of Haryana Police. They unraveled this entire conspiracy and nabbed the accused.
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