A major terror conspiracy was nipped in the bud on Sunday when Punjab Police tracked down and arrested an operative belonging to an ISI-backed Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) cell in Jalandhar.
The joint strike, carried out by Counter Intelligence Jalandhar alongside Jalandhar Rural Police, yielded a ready-to-use Improvised Explosive Device (IED) weighing nearly 1.3 kg. Packed tight with iron shrapnel and steel ball bearings, the device was clearly engineered to maximize casualties in a public space, according to police sources.
Initial questioning showed that the arrested suspect was taking direct commands from handlers stationed overseas, who are working under the umbrella of Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the ISI. Officials maintained that prompt police action averted what could have been a devastating strike in the state.
Confirming the arrest on social media, the Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab shared the details of the raid. “In a breakthrough against cross-border terror networks, Counter Intelligence Jalandhar, in a joint operation with Jalandhar Rural Police, busts an ISI-sponsored BKI terror module operated by foreign-based handlers and arrests a key operative from Jalandhar,” the police chief posted.
He further noted that the recovered bomb carried 1.3 kg of high-grade explosive mix alongside lethal shrapnel, pointing to meticulous groundwork by the module. The DGP stressed that the force is doubling down on its effort to dismantle organized crime rings and cross-border outfits across Punjab.
Police have slapped charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Explosive Substances Act, and the Arms Act at the Patara station in Jalandhar Rural.
Senior officers said the suspect is currently being grilled to map out the network’s local links. The ongoing probe is looking to piece together who supplied the local logistics, how the explosive packet made its way across the border, and where the blast was originally planned to take place.