The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested three men and apprehended a juvenile, all from Punjab, in Lucknow for allegedly plotting to kill an Army or police official on the instructions of a Pakistan-based handler linked to the banned Shahzad Bhatti Network (SBN), Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Amitabh Yash said on Friday.

The arrested men have been identified as Gagandeep Singh (26), a resident of Mehta Pind in Amritsar; Rajat Kumar (19), from Himatpur in Amritsar; and Krish (21), from Gurdaspur district. The juvenile was taken into ATS supervision; in line with the law, he has not been named. A foreign-made pistol and 20 cartridges were recovered during the operation, police said.

"We received intelligence that, on the instructions of a Pakistan-based handler, Rana Bhai, some youths from Punjab were conspiring to carry out a targeted killing of a police or Army personnel in Lucknow," Amitabh Yash was quoted as saying by PTI. According to the preliminary investigation, the accused were allegedly in contact with the handler through Instagram and WhatsApp, were promised Rs 3 lakh for the killing, and were instructed to record the attack and send the video to the handler in Pakistan.

Travel via Delhi, small transfers and a planned escape to Nepal

The group reportedly travelled from Amritsar through Delhi and reached Lucknow around midnight on October 29. Investigators say the handler transferred Rs 2,585 towards their travel expenses, that the group recorded a video of the railway station and shared it with the handler, and that a local associate in Lucknow allegedly arranged accommodation and supplied the weapons and ammunition. The handler reportedly transferred another Rs 2,500 on two occasions over two days for expenses, and the group had allegedly been instructed to escape to Nepal after the attack.

The ATS said it examined the mobile phones recovered from the accused and found suspicious conversations, including chats with foreign-registered numbers, WhatsApp accounts activated through virtual numbers, and videos and location details relating to reconnaissance of sensitive establishments that had allegedly been shared with the Pakistan-based handler. Police said Gagandeep Singh had previously been booked in an Arms Act case in Punjab. A case has been registered at the ATS police station in Lucknow under the Arms Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, among other provisions. The allegations remain to be tested in court, and the ATS said it is examining the financial transactions and investigating local facilitators, weapon suppliers and other associates.

Source: PTI via India Today (News89)