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Friday, Jun 17, 2005

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Punjab police arrest two Hawara aides

Huge cache of arms and ammunition seized

ROPAR: In a major breakthrough, Punjab police have arrested two close aides of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) India Chief Jagtar Singh Hawara and claimed to have recovered heavy quantity of explosives and huge cache of most sophisticated arms and ammunition. The arrested militants have been identified as Swaran Singh of Desumajra village in Kharar and Paramjit Singh alias Polla of Lutheri village in Morinda.

While Hawara and his another aide Parwinder Singh alias Bhinda of Fatehpur Rania village in Fatehgarh Sahib, who were arrested earlier, were also wanted by police, Hawara's successor as BKI's acting India Chief Gurdeep Singh alias Rana of Alampur village in Fatehgarh Sahib was yet to be arrested.

The seizure included 8.350 kg RDX, 1.9 kg PENT (explosive more powerful than RDX), 4 hand grenades, 2 pistols .30 mm, 2 pistols .25 mm, 2 magazines, 9 electric timers, 6 ABCD timers, 10 gelo stick PE, 136 bullets .30 mm, 50 bullets.25 mm, 4 detonators with switches, an electronic self switch, an electronic clap switch, bundles of black and red cable mining wires, 2 motor expel air, an electric switch, bundles of copper and black cable wires, which were hidden under a kitchen garden at Swaran's place, and 220 cartridges of AK-47 possessed by Polla.

Ropar police chief S.P. Singh claimed that with this breakthrough, a major strike to revive terrorism in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir has been averted as the arrested militants were reportedly planning to assassinate some senior politician, bureaucrat or religious leader, named in their "hit list".

The arrested militants, besides being involved in the twin blasts in Delhi cinema halls recently, were also responsible for bomb attack on controversial "godman" Baba Piara Singh Bhaniarawale at his dera at Dhamana village in Ropar on January 10, 2005. Police believe that Hawara himself executed Dhamana bomb blast.

It was last evening when Kharar SHO Gurcharan Singh, on a naka duty at petrol station at Daon village in Kharar, received secret information about the hideouts of the arrested militants, who were reportedly planning to unleash the terror campaign by reviving terrorist activities in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. Acting swiftly, the SHO informed his seniors and raiding parties swooped on the hideouts, catching the two militants "unaware".

After the Burail Jail break on January 22 last year, Jagtar Singh Hawara was engaged in reactivating the Babbar Khalsa network in Punjab with the help of Wadhwa Singh who is now in Pakistan and his son-in-law Surinder Singh in Germany. Hawara arranged a consignment of RDX and arms through J&K border, said Mr. Singh. The SSP claimed that Babbar Khalsa group was activity working to revive terrorism in Punjab with the help of old militants and foreign agencies. The SSP, said about one dozen Babbar Khalsa militants were active in Ropar district and we had identified about 256 hideouts of Jagtar Singh Hawara. He said that police would soon arrest Gurdip Singh alias Rana.

Meanwhile, both the arrested militants were produced before a Kharar court this evening, from where they were remanded in police custody till June 22.-- PTI

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Punjab police arrest two Hawara aides