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Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Serving Army personnel arrested in ISI-linked espionage case
In a significant development in the ISI-linked espionage case, the Punjab Police's State Special Operation Cell (SSOC), SAS Nagar, has arrested a serving Indian Army personnel for his alleged involvement in leaking sensitive military information to Pakistan's intelligence agency, ISI. This arrest follows the earlier capture of ex-Armyman Gurpreet Singh, alias Guri, alias Fauji, on July 9, 2025, who was accused of spying for the ISI and sharing classified Army documents. Ravjot Kaur Grewal, AIG, SSOC, confirmed that based on revelations made during Gurpreet Singh's interrogation, a team from SSOC apprehended Devinder Singh, a resident of District Sangrur, from Uri, Baramulla district, Jammu and Kashmir, on July 14, 2025. Devinder was produced before a competent court in Mohali where the police obtained a six-day remand for further interrogation. According to AIG Ravjot Kaur Grewal, the preliminary questioning revealed that Devinder and Gurpreet became acquainted in 2017 during training at the Army. Training Camp in Pune. Since then, the two maintained close contact and served together at various military postings, including Sikkim and Jammu & Kashmir. While in service, both had access to sensitive and classified military documents, some of which were later leaked by Gurpreet Singh to the ISI. Devinder allegedly helped procure such documents while Gurpreet was lodged in Ferozepur jail. 'The exact role of Devinder Singh in this espionage network will be conclusively established during further investigation,' said AIG Ravjot Kaur Grewal. She stated, 'This arrest marks another major success in exposing the ISI-backed espionage network. The SSOC is actively working to identify more collaborators and determine the full extent of the classified data breach.'
Time of India
28-06-2025
- Time of India
ISI hires minor: Juvenile among 3 arrested, as cops bust Babbar Khalsa module in Amritsar
1 2 Mohali: A 17-year-old boy is among three people to have been arrested in Amritsar after Punjab Police busted a terror module being run by banned outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and being backed by Pakistan's ISI, said Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav on Friday. The state special operation cell (SSOC) of Punjab Police busted the module that was active in Amritsar and was intended to carry out targeted killings and attacks on police assets, as had been seen in grenade attacks at police stations along Punjab's border belt. Police have seized two hand grenades, a 9MM Glock pistol, and live cartridges from the trio. Yadav said the BKI module was being operated by a UK-based handler, Nishan Singh, under the directions of designated terrorist Harwinder Singh Rinda. Sehajpal Singh and Vikramjit Singh, both residents of Ramdas in Amritsar, were the adults who were arrested in the operation was led by SSOC, Mohali, based on specific intelligence inputs. "The recovery of high-grade explosives and a sophisticated firearm indicates a major tragedy was averted. This is a big blow to terror outfits looking to destabilise peace in Punjab," said Yadav, adding that investigations were ongoing and more arrests and recoveries were expected. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với sàn môi giới tin cậy IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo SSOC AIG Ravjot Grewal, while briefing the media, revealed that the operatives were tasked with retrieving and transporting explosives. During interrogation, Sehajpal disclosed he had been working under the directions of Lovepreet Singh alias Love, a BKI associate lodged in Ferozepur jail. Lovepreet, facing multiple cases under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Explosive Substances Act, and attempt to murder, is alleged to have orchestrated the retrieval of arms and explosives through his operatives. He has now been brought to SSOC, Mohali, on a production warrant. "The hand grenades were to be used in a targeted explosion, with exact timing and location to be conveyed later by handlers abroad. The Glock pistol was to be used for targeted killings of rival gang members," said Grewal. A case has been registered at SSOC police station, Mohali under relevant sections of the Arms Act (25(1)(B), 25(7)) and the Explosives Act (Sections 3, 4, and 5). The juvenile has been apprehended and will be dealt with according to juvenile justice provisions. Police said they are working to unravel the forward and backward linkages, particularly with operatives abroad, in what they described as a well-coordinated and multi-layered terror plot aimed at creating unrest in Punjab.
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Business Standard
27-06-2025
- Business Standard
Terror group Babbar Khalsa International's 3 operatives arrested in Mohali
An intellgence operation led by Punjab Police's State Special Operation Cell (SSOC), successfully busted a terror module of the Pakistan's ISI-backed banned outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and arrested three of its operatives, police said on Friday The SSOC arrested three associates from the module, which is being operated by Pakistan-based terrorist Harwinder Rinda, according to a statement by the Punjab DGP. Taking to X, DGP Punjab Police posted: "The group was conspiring to carry out attacks on police establishments and targeted killings in the Amritsar area. A major terror plot has been foiled, saving countless innocent lives." During the operation, two hand grenades, one Glock pistol, and ammunition were recovered. The arrested accused have been identified as Sehajpal Singh and Vikramjit Singh, both residents of Ramdas, Amritsar Rural, along with a juvenile. An FIR has been registered under the relevant sections of the BNS and Explosives Act at Police Station SSOC Mohali. Investigation is ongoing, and more arrests are expected, police said. On June 26, as part of its investigation in the Babbar Khalsa International-linked grenade attack at the residence of former Punjab Minister Manoranjan Kalia, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted a series of searches across the state as well as in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, the agency said. NIA teams carried out searches at 18 locations in the three northern states this morning, and seized various incriminating materials, including mobiles and digital devices and documents. As per the NIA, the searches were conducted at the premises of suspects linked with Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) operative Kulbir Sidhu, US-based gangster Manish alias Kaka Rana, and their nodes based in India and various other countries. Kulbir Sidhu, originally from Yamunanagar in Haryana, is currently in Germany and is a key aide of designated terrorist and BKI chief, Pakistan-based Wadhawa Singh Babbar. Sidhu is also an accused in a case related to the murder of VHP leader Vikas Prabhakar in Nangal, Punjab, in April 2024.
The Print
19-06-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Who is Resham Singh, Pannun's man arrested for ‘defacing public properties, Ambedkar statue'
At Pannun's directions, Resham Singh has allegedly orchestrated four such incidents in Punjab so far this year, including the defacement of Ambedkar's statue in Jalandhar's Nangal village this month. The suspect, identified as Resham Singh from Barnala district's Hamidi village, is a long-time aide of SFJ founder Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has listed as an 'individual terrorist'. New Delhi: The Punjab Police arrested an operative of the banned Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) on Wednesday for promoting anti-national sentiments by defacing public properties and statues of prominent leaders, such as B.R. Ambedkar. The accused, the police said, worked as a security guard in his home district before he came in contact with Pannun and his network. Resham Singh was previously arrested by Karnal police in Haryana and Sangrur police in Punjab for his role in similar cases, Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said. 'During the Indo-Pak escalation in May, he painted inflammatory slogans such as 'Pakistan Zindabad' and 'Khalistan Zindabad' to incite public unrest and promote anti-national sentiments,' Yadav said in a statement Wednesday. Punjab Police's State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) unit took Singh into custody from Kharar on the outskirts of Mohali. Investigation has so far revealed that Resham Singh was working on the instructions of Pannun and Surinder Singh Thikriwal, originally from Barnala district and currently based in the US, the Punjab DGP said. Thikriwal allegedly fled India in 2022. Pannun, a dual citizen of the US originally from Punjab, was declared an 'individual terrorist' in July 2020, a year after his organisation was declared a terrorist outfit by the MHA in July 2019. Authorities have registered more than 100 cases against the SFJ and Pannun, with around 60 in Punjab alone. Also Read: Sikh separatists engaging in violent extremism a 'threat to national security'—Canada intel report 'Pannun's aide since 2019, funding of Rs 8-10 lakh' According to the Punjab Police FIR, the SSOC's Mohali unit received a tip-off around 7.45 a.m. Wednesday that Resham Singh was hiding somewhere in their jurisdiction. The SSOC booked Singh and Thikriwal under Sections 152 (endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India), 196 (promoting enmity between different groups) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. In a statement to the media, SSOC Mohali in-charge Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Ravjot Grewal said that Resham Singh was taken into custody from a hideout arranged by Thikriwal. Grewal said Resham Singh revealed his six-year-long association with Pannun and the overall network of the SFJ during interrogation. He allegedly confessed to having been introduced to the SFJ network in 2019 through Harpreet Singh alias Rana, who at the time used to host the media channel, Politics Punjab. 'Harpreet Rana was instrumental in connecting Resham to key SFJ members, including Bikramjit Singh (USA), J.S. Dhaliwal and Pannu himself,' Grewal said. She further said that Resham has received at least Rs 8 lakh from Pannun and his network for promoting their secessionist propaganda, such as painting anti-India graffiti on important structures and public spaces. Resham Singh came out of Sangrur jail in May 2024 after serving nearly two years in Sangrur and Karnal for involvement in similar offences in the respective districts. According to records of cases submitted by the MHA before the UAPA (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act tribunal constituted to vet the ban on SFJ, Resham Singh's name first appeared in cases related to the outfit in 2022 when he and his nephew, Manpreet Singh, were arrested by Punjab Police for two incidents of painting secessionist graffiti. The Sangrur police had filed an FIR under Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), 153B (assertions prejudicial to national integration) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC, as well as relevant sections of the UAPA and the Punjab Prevention of Defacement of Public Property Act after the June 2022 incident of writing pro-Khalistan graffiti on the walls of a temple came to light. Around the same time, the Karnal police booked Pannun under Sections 153A, 120B of the erstwhile IPC and 13 of the UAPA that deals with punishment for unlawful activities in connection with writing pro-Khalistan graffiti on the walls of Dyal Singh College and DAV Public School in the district. Around a week later, similar graffiti was found on the boundary wall of Sangrur's Water Testing Regional Laboratory and the Ranbir Club in Sangrur. The Punjab Police arrested both Resham and Manpreet Singh in July 2022. However, as Manpreet was only 18 years old at the time of the offence, he revealed that Resham Singh was the main culprit behind the plot. After spending considerable time in police custody, Resham Singh was granted bail in the Karnal case by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in April, while he secured bail in the Sangrur cases from the trial court in May last year. However, Grewal said that as soon as he walked out of the Sangrur jail in May last year, he resumed his activities under the direction of Pannun and the SFJ network. The defacement of Ambedkar's statue in Jalandhar was his last offence before arrest on Wednesday. 'The probe has revealed that after each act, accused Resham used to record videos and send them to his handlers abroad, who used them to fuel secessionist propaganda. Till now, the accused has received around Rs 8 to 10 lakh from his foreign-based handlers,' the AIG added. (Edited by Sugita Katyal) Also Read: Born out of 'desperation', DRG is first line against Maoists in Bastar. Tech is giving them an edge
Hindustan Times
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Key SFJ operative arrested for vandalising Ambedkar's statue
Jalandhar : Punjab Police's state special operation cell (SSOC), Mohali, has arrested Resham Singh, a key operative of the banned Sikh for Justice (SFJ) group, for his involvement in the vandalism of a Dr BR Ambedkar statue in Phillaur and executing a series of Pro-Khalistan graffiti across the state. Resham, a close associate of SFJ's US-based head Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, was apprehended after being on the run since the incident. Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said that initial investigations pointed to Resham's involvement in the June 2 vandalism at Nangal in Phillaur. Resham, a resident of Hamidi village in Barnala, was allegedly acting under the directions of Surinder Singh Thikriwal, a wanted criminal in several UAPA cases, and Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, he said. The accused is also accused of defacing public property with pro-Khalistan and pro-SFJ graffiti in multiple districts, including Patiala, Faridkot and Jalandhar. Resham had been involved in spreading inflammatory slogans such as 'Pakistan Zindabad' and 'Khalistan Zindabad' during the Indo-Pak escalation in May 2025, further escalating anti-national sentiments. Foreign funding and anti-national propaganda Investigations have revealed that Resham was receiving foreign funding to carry out his unlawful activities. According to the DGP, Resham was also involved in other anti-national activities and had previously been arrested in two UAPA cases in Karnal (Haryana) and Sangrur for painting anti-national graffiti. The authorities are now investigating his links to international sources that may have funded his actions. Assistant inspector general of police (SSOC) Ravjot Grewal said the police received credible intelligence regarding Resham's role in promoting secession. The SSOC team launched a well-coordinated operation, which led to his arrest from Kharar, where he had taken refuge under the protection of his handler, Surinder Thikriwal. During interrogation, Resham confessed that he was introduced to the SFJ network in 2019 through Harpreet Singh alias Rana, a key figure behind the now-banned media channel 'Politics Punjab.' Rana reportedly connected Singh to prominent SFJ leaders, including Pannu, Bikramjit Singh (USA), and JS Dhaliwal. Following his release from Sangrur jail in May 2024 after serving a two-year sentence, Resham resumed his anti-national activities, now under the influence of Thikriwal, a former terrorist who fled to the US in 2022. Resham was reportedly instructed to record videos of his acts of vandalism and send them to his handlers abroad, who used the footage to fuel secessionist propaganda. Authorities have confirmed that Resham received between ₹8 to ₹10 lakh from foreign handlers to fund his unlawful activities. Investigations continue as police work to identify other individuals involved in the network and assess the extent of their operations.
