Man involved in murder of Shaurya Chakra awardee Balwinder Sandhu among three held by Punjab Police

Punjab Police on Tuesday said it arrested a key accused in the murder case of Shaurya Chakra awardee Balwinder Singh Sandhu.

Gurwinder Singh alias Baba was arrested in Tarn Taran district. His two aides, identified as Sandeep Singh alias Kala and Gurpreet Singh alias Randhawa, were also nabbed, police said.

One hand-grenade, one RDX-IED (improvised explosive device), two .30 bore pistols along with magazines and 13 live cartridges, 635 grams of heroin, 100 of grams opium, Rs 36.90 lakh cash, and a car were seized from their possession, they said.

Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said Gurwinder Singh, who is a proclaimed offender of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), had played a pivotal role in the killing of Shaurya Chakra awardee Balwinder Singh Sandhu by providing weapons to shooters.

Sandhu was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Tarn Taran in October 2020. He was awarded Shaurya Chakra in 1993 for fighting Khalistani militancy in Punjab.

The DGP said a probe revealed that Gurwinder Singh is a close associate of notorious gangsters Sukhpreet Singh alias Harry Chatha and Sukhmeetpal Singh alias Sukh Bikhariwal -- a prime suspect in Sandhu's murder case.

Preliminary investigations indicated that the seized explosives and arms and ammunition were to be used to disrupt peace and harmony and create terror in Punjab on or around Independence Day, the DGP said.

Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ferozepur Range, Jaskaran Singh said following reliable inputs that Gurwinder Singh, along with his aide Sandeep Singh, is on the way to Khadoor Sahib, the Tarn Taran Police intercepted a car in which both were traveling and arrested them.

Two pistols with loaded magazines, 635 grams of heroin, 100 grams of opium, and Rs 3.90 lakh drug money were seized from the car, he said.

Following disclosures of Gurwinder Singh, police also recovered one hand grenade, one RDX-IED, and Rs 33 lakh of drug money from a location pinpointed in the area of Batala, the IGP said.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the recovered explosives, arms, and drugs were smuggled via drones from Pakistan, he added.

Senior Superintendent of Police, Tarn Taran, Ranjit Singh Dhillon said an FIR has been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS Act), the Arms Act, the Explosive Substance Act, and the Aircraft Act.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)