Daijiworld Media Network - Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad/Banaskantha, Apr 5: The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), in coordination with Banaskantha’s Special Operations Group (SOG), has apprehended Bikramjit Singh alias Vicky, a wanted accused from Punjab allegedly involved in a grenade smuggling and terror network with cross-border links, officials said on Sunday.

The accused, a resident of Nangal Panwan, Amritsar, was detained from a dhaba in Deesa, where he had been working as a casual labourer. The arrest followed intelligence shared by the Punjab Police regarding his involvement in a case registered by the Special State Operational Cell (SSOC), Amritsar.

Senior ATS officers tracked and secured Singh, who was later brought to Ahmedabad for interrogation. Preliminary investigations revealed that Singh allegedly coordinated with Pakistan-based gangster Shehzad Bhatti and his associate Abid Jutt, facilitating grenade supplies and recruiting individuals in Punjab for the network.

Officials stated that Singh operated outside Punjab to avoid detection while orchestrating recruitment and planning attacks on police stations and security units on instructions from his handlers. Bhatti is reportedly linked to Pakistan’s ISI and involved in terror activities targeting security establishments and key individuals in Punjab.

The SSOC Amritsar had registered a case on April 3 under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Explosive Substances Act, 1908, and Arms Act, 1959, and several accused have already been arrested.

The Gujarat ATS confirmed that Punjab Police has been informed, and legal procedures are underway to hand over Singh for further investigation.

This operation underscores continued cross-state and cross-border coordination to tackle organized terror networks.