Mumbai, Jan 9 (IANS): In a major joint operation, the Maharashtra and Punjab Police arrested three dreaded criminals of the Sonu Khatri gang, with reported terrorist links, from Thane, an official said here on Monday.

They were identified as Shivam Avtarsingh Mahalo, 22, Gurmukh Nareshkumar Singh, 23, and Amandeep Kumar Gurmelchand, 21, all residents of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar in Punjab.

Following a tip-off, DSP, Punjab Police's Anti-Gangster Task Force, Mohali, Rajan Parvinder made a request to the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad for assistance to nab the culprits on Sunday.

The AGTF suspected that the Sonu Khatri gangsters were in touch with wanted terrorist Harvinder Singh alias Rinda and were holed up in Kalyan town of Thane district.

These criminals were also believed to be in possession of certain foreign-made firearms and thus the ATS' help was sought to track and nab them.

The ATS set up several special teams for the operation who managed to trace the wanted trio hiding in the Yadavnagar area of Ambivali in Kalyan and swooped on them on Sunday evening.

The trio of Mahalo, Singh and Gurmelchand is wanted for a series of serious crimes like murders, attempted murders, illicit trade in weapons and explosives, etc.

They have been taken into custody by the Punjab AGTF and the entire operation was carried out with the collaboration of the ATS units of Kalachowki and Vikhroli in Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai police forces.

The Punjab Police have booked them under various laws including the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act, and will produce them before the appropriate court, said an official.