Punjab cops recover arms, foil terror plot after busting ISI-backed module

Punjab Police have recovered a cache of weapons, including a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), a hand grenade, explosives and high-end pistols, in Tarn Taran district, foiling a potential terror plot, Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said on Wednesday.

The recovery was made during a joint operation by Patiala Police and the State Special Operations Cell (SSOC), Amritsar, in Panjwarh Khurd village.

Police said the seizure is linked to an ongoing investigation into a Pakistan-backed ISI and pro-Khalistan terror network, including those involved in the attempted IED blast on a railway track near Shambhu in Patiala earlier this week.

The development comes two days after an explosion at the railway track near Shambhu killed Jagroop Singh alias Jupa, who was allegedly attempting to plant an IED that detonated prematurely.

Within 12 hours of the incident, police arrested four members of the module, including its alleged kingpin, Pardeep Singh Khalsa, and recovered a hand grenade, two .30 bore pistols, communication devices and laptops.

SSP Patiala Varun Sharma said Satnam Singh, arrested along with Khalsa, revealed that he had concealed a major portion of the consignment in a stable and a car in the village.

Acting on this input, a joint team conducted a search and recovered an RPG, a 2.3 kg metallic IED (sticky bomb) with detonators, wiring and a battery, and two packets of RDX weighing about 1.5 kg.

Police also seized a P-86 hand grenade, three pistols (a 9mm Glock-18, a PX5 Storm and a Star Mark), along with five magazines and 84 live cartridges. Other items recovered included two wireless sets, a headphone and two timer switches.

“Investigations have revealed that this terror module was backed by a Malaysia-based entity, with financial support routed through a handler using the name Jujhar Singh,” the DGP said.

He added that Jujhar Singh was in touch with US-based Surinder Singh Thikriwal, who is accused in several earlier terror cases. He further said that Pakistan-based Ranjeet Singh alias Neeta, a designated terrorist, was also linked to the module through a layered network.

Members of the busted module have been booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Explosive Act, Arms Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), police said.

Yadav said investigators will also examine whether the module was involved in the January 23, 2026 blast on the Sirhind railway track and the grenade attack in Moga on the night of November 6–7, 2025.

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