Reaffirming the commitment of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to maintain peace and harmony in the state, Punjab Police have busted a terror module being operated by Czech Republic (Czechia)-based Gurdev Singh alias Jaisal with the arrest of its three associates after recovering three pistols along with ammunition from Tarn Taran, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Sunday.
The development came ahead of Independence Day. Gurdev Jaisel is a key operative of Canada-based terrorists Lakhbir alias Landa and Satbir Singh alias Satta, who were behind the Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) attack at Police Station Sarhali and numerous plots to commit targeted killings in Punjab.
Those arrested have been identified as Ashmpreet Singh of Noordi in Tarn Taran, Pardeep Singh and Sukhman, both residents of Sheron in Sarhali, Tarn Taran. Apart from three pistols, the police teams have also recovered Rs 37500 cash from their possession.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said that following reliable inputs that Gurdev Jaisel has been developing a new module to carry terror activities in the Majha area, Tarn Taran Police in a joint operation with Counter Intelligence have arrested the trio accused persons from Tarn Taran, when they were hatching a conspiracy to commit a crime.
Sharing more investigation details, SSP Tarn Taran Gurmeet Singh Chauhan said that Jaisel, sitting in Czechia, was in contact in touch with module members and gave them directions over the phone to carry out terror activities and target killings to disrupt peace and harmony in the state.
The arrested accused persons also confessed to having picked up some consignments of weapons and money for terror funding to deliver them to different persons on the directions of Gurdev Jaisel, he said, while adding that further investigation is being carried out to unearth the backward and forward linkages.
A case FIR no. 119 dated 12.08.2023 has been registered under sections 384, 385,386, 387, 115 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), sections 25 (6) and 27 (7) of the Arms Act, sections 13, 16, 17, 18, 18-B, 20 and 40 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, sections 21 and 29 of the NDPS Act and section 66 of the IT Act at Police Station Sarhali.
WHO IS GURDEV JAISEL?
A close associate of Canada-based gangster-turned-terrorist Lakhbir Singh Landa and Satbir Singh alias Satta, Gurdev Singh alias Jaisel was one of the masterminds of the Rocket-Propelled Grenade (RPG) attack at the Police Station Sarhali Kalan in Tarn Taran district in December 2022. He fled to Dubai in 2022, after that, moved to Europe using illegal means.
He has been facilitating terrorists Lakhbir Landa and Satbir Satta to carry out terror activities in Punjab via his associates. As per the counter-intelligence reports, earlier, when Gurdev Jaisal was in India, he retrieved consignments consisting of firearms, IEDs, AK-47 rifle and narcotics at the behest of Lakhbir Landa.