Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Siddharth Chattopadhyaya on Saturday said that Pakistan's ISI was behind the bomb blast that took place in Ludhiana court on Dec 23. Talking to media persons, the DGP added that Khalistani groups and the drug mafia were also linked to the blast, according to police leads. Calling it a dangerous mix of narcotics and terrorism, the state police chief said that the motive behind the blast was to create unrest and scare the judiciary.
Key Points:
1. "We have found that there is a link to Khalistani elements, gangsters and drug smugglers," the Punjab DGP said. "ISI Pak is said to be behind it. But there are other angles as well," he added.
2. He also said that Punjab is already facing challenges from terrorism and narcotics. Moreover, the mix of narco organised crime and terrorism are a dangerous cocktail and the case in Ludhiana is a similar case, he added.
3. "Elements linked to anti-India agencies in Pakistan, Khalistani groups and drug mafia appear to be behind the blast. The motive was to scare the judiciary and create unrest," said Siddharth Chattopadhyaya.
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4. Chattopadhyaya said that the ex-cop Gagandeep Singh, who was killed in the blast was allegedly taking directions from handlers in Pakistan. The Punjab Police had also accused the deposed cop Singh to be the executor of the bomb.
5. The DGP claimed that Singh had died while “fixing wires of the bomb” inside a toilet and that he had connections with Pakistan's ISI.
6. “It was an external conspiracy. The motive was to scare the judiciary. Two persons undergoing trial in drug cases have been brought on production warrant while a woman constable has been detained for questioning,” the DGP said.
7. “Bailed out recently, Gagandeep seemed to have undergone a transition from narcotics to explosives after coming in touch with criminals or terrorists inside the jail. He was to appear in the court on December 24, 2021,” he said.
8. Former head constable Gagandeep Singh was sacked from his service in 2019 for having drug links. Singh was also jailed for two years and was released from jail earlier in September.
9. Chattopadhyaya further said that the preliminary investigations have suggested that ex-cop Singh might have developed links with Khalistani elements in jail. These anti-India agency elements used Singh to target the court premises.
10. It is still unclear if the ex-cop had stolen the explosives from a police malkhaana or not, according to the DGP. Chattopadhyaya said that an audit of the confiscated explosives kept in malkhaanas was ordered to rule out the possibility mentioned earlier. He also congratulated the Punjab Police for cracking the case within 24 hours.
