In yet another major crackdown on terror networks, Punjab Police’s Counter Intelligence (CI) wing in Jalandhar carried out a significant operation that led to the arrest of two operatives associated with the banned terrorist organisation Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and the recovery of a Chinese Type 86P hand grenade.

The arrested operatives were identified as Ritik Naroliya and a juvenile, both hailing from Rajasthan. Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav, while confirming the development through an official statement, emphasised that intelligence-based swift action helped neutralise a potential terror strike and exposed vital linkages in the network.

The disclosures made by Ritik and the juvenile opened up crucial leads, following which police teams apprehended two more associates—Vishavjit, arrested from Kolkata while he was preparing to flee to Malaysia, and Jackson from Nakodar. Their arrest further strengthened the investigation, with police recovering the grenade that was seized during the operation.

The probe revealed that these operatives were working under direct instructions from Canada-based BKI masterminds Zeeshan Akhtar and Ajay Gill, who have been continuously attempting to revive terror activities in Punjab through well-organised sleeper cells.

According to the investigation, Vishavjit and Jackson had retrieved two Chinese 86P hand grenades from Beas with the help of associates in the last week of July 2025. One of these grenades was subsequently used in a blast at a liquor shop in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, approximately ten days prior to their arrest.

The use of such high-grade explosives indicated that the module was actively planning violent activities with the aim of disturbing public order and creating an atmosphere of fear. Following the incident, a detailed FIR was registered at the State Special Operations Cell (SSOC), Amritsar, ensuring the case was pursued with utmost seriousness under provisions of anti-terror laws.

Police officials confirmed that the crackdown not only led to the apprehension of active operatives but also exposed the transnational reach of BKI masterminds, who continue to orchestrate operations from foreign soil.

The arrests are seen as part of Punjab Police’s sustained drive to dismantle terror modules, neutralize ISI-backed networks, and secure the state from extremist violence. The DGP reiterated that the department was fully committed to maintaining peace and preventing such foreign-backed terror conspiracies from succeeding.

The development gains further significance as it follows a string of high-profile arrests in the run-up to Independence Day, when security agencies had already been on high alert.

Barely days earlier, CI Ferozepur foiled another Pakistan-ISI-backed terror plot allegedly orchestrated by notorious Khalistani terrorist Harwinder Singh Rinda, leading to the arrests of Harpreet Singh alias Preet from Tarn Taran and Gulshan Singh alias Nandu from Amritsar. From them, police recovered two 86P hand grenades, a 9mm pistol, and five live cartridges, preventing what could have been a major strike around the national celebrations.

Similarly, in another coordinated operation, Punjab Police dismantled yet another BKI module with the arrest of five operatives, including three juveniles, from Rajasthan’s Tonk and Jaipur districts. That raid led to the seizure of one 86P hand grenade and a .30 bore pistol, further underlining the scale at which BKI operatives have been attempting to radicalise youth and set up terror modules across state and national boundaries.

The sequence of recent successes by Punjab Police highlights the state’s ongoing battle against foreign-sponsored terror designs, where outfits like BKI are being actively funded and directed by handlers abroad, primarily in Pakistan and Canada. DGP Gaurav Yadav reassured the public that Punjab Police’s coordinated counter-intelligence operations will continue to focus on breaking supply chains of weapons, arresting sleeper cells, and preventing radicalisation attempts, in order to safeguard peace and stability in Punjab.

Based On ANI Report