Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 4: Punjab Police today foiled an attempt by ‘Khalistan Zindabad Force’ (KZF) and ‘Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) to revive militancy in Jammu and Punjab by arresting four activists of the two outfits from Miran Sahib in Simbal Camp. Punjab Police was in the process of seeking transit remand of both the arrested militants of KZF and KLF to take them to Bhogpur police station in Jalandhar district of Punjab, where a case has been registered against them.
Police have so far recovered 3 Pakistani SIM cards, four Pakistani mobile telephones and half a dozen local SIM cards from the possession of arrested militants.
In surprise revelations gathered by Punjab Police from one of the source arrested in Punjab, the activities of KZF, which is headed by Jammu’s Ranjit Singh Neeta, now based in Sialkot, Pakistan and KLF headed by Harminder Singh alias Mintu of Punjab, also in Pakistan, were being funded and co-ordinated by terrorist elements based in Spain and England.
Official sources told the Excelsior that Punjab Police in assistance with Jammu Police today arrested four terrorists from Miran Sahib and RS Pura areas of Jammu and busted the joint terrorist module of the KZF and the KLF, which was being controlled by Ranjit Singh Neeta, chief of KZF and Harminder Singh Mintu, chief of KLF and funded and co-ordinated by terrorist elements based in Spain and the UK.
Nirmal Singh Dhillon, Inspector General of Police, Zone-II, Jalandhar said that an intelligence-based operation was launched by the Punjab Police with Narinder Bhargav, Senior Superintendent of Police, Jalandhar Rural camping in Jammu for two days to personally oversee its culmination.
The police party arrested four terrorists identified as Harpreet Singh alias Harmeet Singh alias Pintu son of Amar Singh R/o Ward No 1, Simbal Camp, Jammu, Karanjit Singh alias Pamma son of Amar Singh R/o Basti Govindpur, Simbal Morh, Swaran Singh alias Shabba son of Ajeet Singh R/o Naddi, Simbal Camp and Jasmeet Singh of Govindpur, RS Pura this afternoon.
He informed that an FIR under the provisions of Sections 17,18, 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, 153-A/121/120-B IPC and 25/54/59 Arms Act has been registered in police station Bhogpur in district Jalandhar of Punjab against all four accused.
The IGP said the investigations have revealed that Pintu, Pamma and Shabba with their associates had formed a terrorist gang for the purposes of committing terrorist acts with the intention to strike fear among the people.
This module was controlled by Harminder Singh alias Mintu, chief of KLF and Ranjit Singh alias Neeta, chief of KZF.
Neeta once also lived in Simbal Camp but fled to Pakistan in nineties after he came in contact with the ISI and became a hardcore militant of the KZF outfit. Presently, he was putting up in Sialkot but continued to shuttle to Lahore to co-ordinate activities between different militant outfits. He was now close confidant of Pakistan’s Army and ISI. His name figured in the list of ‘Top 20’ terrorists, whose names the Indian Government had once given to Pakistan for repatriation.
Sources said the two terrorist outfits had decided to combine their resources and operatives to launch a spectacular and determined terrorist attack in the near future by committing terrorist acts.
They further said that investigations have revealed that Pintu is a Pak-trained KZF terrorist who had obtained arms training in Pakistan in 1997 and had developed closed links with Mintu as well. Pamma had gone to Thailand in January and February this year on a 90-day visa and thereafter returned to Jammu where he was running a travel agency at Satwari Chowk. It is believed that Pamma had slipped from Thailand to Pakistan on fake papers and went to Pakistan for arms training.
Sources pointed out that investigations have also revealed that the terrorist module was being funded by operatives based in Spain and the UK who were sending funds through Money Gram and hawala. The arrested terrorists are being taken to Jalandhar where police remand for their sustained interrogation would be sought to completely unmask the terrorist module and arrest their associates as well. Further investigations are in progress.
Sources said the terrorists used to speak to Neeta and other associates in Pakistan through Pakistani SIM cards, which have been recovered from their possession. Punjab Police have so far recovered 3 Pakistani SIM cards, four Pakistani mobile phones and half a dozen Indian SIM cards from three arrested militants.
Sources added that with the arrest of militants, a major plot hatched by KZF and KLF to revive militancy in Jammu and Punjab has been foiled. They pointed out that Punjab Police had intercepted conversation of the arrested terrorists with Neeta and Mintu. A KZF source had been arrested in Bhogpur, Punjab, who was on way to Jammu to handover Rs 30,000 cash to the terrorists, they said.