Punjab: Timeline (Terrorist Activities) -2021

As per the official data released by Border Security Force (BSF)’s Punjab Frontier Headquarters on January 1, the personnel have recovered 517 kilograms heroin and 43 weapons from along the Indo-Pak International Borders (IB) in Punjab in 2020, reports IANS. The BSF also shot dead eight drug smugglers and intruders in separate encounters in 2020. Additionally, a total of 13 Pakistanis and one Bangladeshi national were also arrested during the year. In a humanitarian gesture, the BSF handed over six Pakistanis to the Pakistan Rangers after they had inadvertently crossed the IB. Read less...

In a counter-terrorism measure in Punjab, the State Police have decided to recruit specialised de-radicalisation counsellors in the backdrop of radicalisation of youth for pro-Khalistan activities via social media, reports The Tribune on January 4. 30 de-radicalisation counsellors and 82 assistants will be recruited soon with the job to bring back youth into the mainstream after they were allegedly brainwashed by terror agencies, including Pakistan-based Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), said Director General of Police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta. According to the Police records, nearly 70 terror modules had been busted in the past few years in which more than 300 youth were arrested. Most of them were radicalised for pro-Khalistan activities through social media. Read less...

The Border Security Force (BSF) personnel arrested a Pakistani national, Identified as Gulam Dastari (23), who strayed into the Indian territory in the Jalalabad area of International Border (IB) in Fazilka District of Punjab on January 4, reports The Tribune. Dastari, a resident of Okara District in Pakistan, crossed over from the Chack Khiva border outpost area. Read less...

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on January 7, conducted searches at six locations – five in Jammu District of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and one in Tarn Taran District of Punjab in connection with the investigation of a narco-terror module case (RC 05/2020/ NIA/JMU) related to seizure of about 61 kilograms of heroin along with arms and ammunitions on September 20, 2020 at International Border (IB) at Arnia in Jammu District, says NIA. The officials recovered digital devices and other incriminating documents having financial details and accounts numbers during these searches. Originally registered at Arnia Police Station (Jammu), the case was re-registered by NIA on November 26, 2020 and taken up for investigation.The searches were conducted at the residences of six accused persons namely – Jasraj Singh, Sham Lal, Bishan Dass, Ajeet Kumar, Gurbaksh Singh and Gurpartap Singh. These accused persons were arrested for hatching a criminal conspiracy for carrying out anti-national and unlawful activities, and to help the terrorist organisations by collecting funds and channelizing the proceeds of drugs for furthering the activities of such terrorist organisations like Babbar Khalsa International (BKI). Gurpratap Singh, r/o Tarn Taran District is the kingpin of this module. In the second week of September 2020, Gurpratap Singh had received 10 kilograms of heroin from Pakistan based handlers through his associates. The consignment in the case was also intended to be received by Gurpratap Singh to fund the activities of BKI in Punjab. Read less...

The Border Security Force (BSF) on January 8 arrested six Pakistani intruders from the area along the India-Pakistan International Border (IB) in Amritsar District of Punjab, reports Outlook. The arrestees are aged between 20 and 21 years and their identities are yet to be ascertained by the BSF. Read less...

BSF on January 9 handed over six Pakistani intruders, who had inadvertently crossed over into India from the IB near Moran village in Amritsar District of Punjab as reported by SATP on January 9, to the Pakistani Rangers, reports Indian Express. The intruders were identified as – Raza Awan (19), Shaukat (18), Mohammad Arif (22), Mohammad Asif (25), Mohammad Asral (14) and Umar Farooq (21). During interrogation, they identified themselves as labourers working at a primary school in Warra Mangli village, 3 kilometers from the IB in Pakistan. Read less...

Police arrested a drug smuggler and recovered five kilograms of heroin worth INR 250 million in the international market from Indo-Pak International Border (IB) near Hussainiwala in Ferozepur District of Punjab on January 9, reports The Tribune. The arrestee, identified as Dalbir Singh aliasDallu, a resident of GattiMathar village, in Lakho ke Behram area was arrested with 250 grams heroin. Later on, based on his disclosure, in a joint operation with Border Security Force (BSF) personnel, five kilograms heroin, one pistol, 2 magazines, 18 live cartridges and Pakistani currency worth INR 1,100 were recovered at the designated place across the fencing near the IB. “During preliminary investigation, it came to the fore that Dalbir had links with Pakistan-based drug smugglers and was in touch with cross-border drug peddlers through the social media,” said a Police official. Read less...

Personnel belonging to the 129 Battalion of BSF recovered four packets of heroin weighing two kilograms, worth INR 100 million in the international market from IB in Ferozepur sector of Ferozepur District in Punjab on January 10, reports The Tribune. Read less...

The Counter Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Border Security Force (BSF) personnel on January 15 recovered four kilograms heroin worth INR 200 million in the international market from International Border (IB) in Ferozepur District of Punjab, reports The Tribune. The consignment was recovered following the inputs provided by a drug peddler – Malkeet Singh alias Kala (35) who was arrested by the Police on January 10. “During preliminary investigation, it came to the fore that Malkeet had links with Pakistan-based drug smugglers and was in touch with cross-border drug peddlers through the social media. At least, 13 Pakistan mobile numbers were found in his mobile,” Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Bhupinder Singh said. Read less...

The Border Security Force (BSF) personnel recovered 12 kilograms of heroin, worth INR 600 million in the international market, near India-Pakistan International Border (IB) in Amritsar District of Punjab on January 13, reports The Tribune. “We seized 12 packets of the contraband near the border fence. The area is manned by 88 Bn, BSF, Amritsar sector. A 13-foot-long PVC pipe was also found there. It was probably used to push packets across the border. No arrest has been made so far,” a BSF official said. Read less...

An unidentified Pakistani intruder was shot dead by the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel along the International Border (IB) in Amritsar District of Punjab on January 14, reports Deccan Herald. The BSF personnel noticed suspicious activity near the border fence and after sensing a threat, troops shot him dead. Read less...

The banned US-based secessionist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) announced a reward of USD 2,50,000 for protesting farmers of Punjab for hoisting ‘Khalistan flag’ at India Gate in the national capital on Republic Day, reports India Today. While announcing the reward, SFJ’s general counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, in a video tried to link the farmers' protest with 1984 anti-Sikh riots. “26 January is coming and on the Red Fort, there is an Indian tricolour. Remove the tricolour on 26th of January and replace it with the Khalistan flag,” he said while announcing that SFJ will give USD 2,50,000 to those who will remove the Indian tricolour. Besides this, SFJ also used the bait of giving foreign citizenship to lure the protesters. “The laws of the world are with you. If the Indian Government points a finger at you, you and your families will be brought to the foreign countries under the United Nations laws,” he further said. Read less...

The Border Security Force (BSF) and Police personnel on January 19 recovered 5.2 kilograms of heroin along with an AK-47 submachine gun, a pistol, an AK magazine with seven cartridges, near the Daoke border outpost on the International Border (IB) in Amritsar District of Punjab, reports The Tribune. The contraband and weapons were sneaked into the Indian territory by a Pakistan-based drug peddler Bilal Sandhu of Maniala village there. The Police recently got a tip-off that Sandhu and some contacts in India recently pushed a consignment of contraband and weapons from across the border near the Daoke border outpost. The information was shared with the BSF following which the recovery was made. Read less...

The Border Security Force (BSF) personnel on January 20 recovered two kilograms of heroin along the India-Pakistan International Border (IB) in Ferozepur sector of Ferozepur District in Punjab, reports Indileak.com. BSF has recovered 17.60 kilograms heroin so far in January 2021 along the IB in Punjab. Read less...

The US-based banned terrorist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) has threatened to stage protests outside Indian missions in the US, UK and Canada on Republic Day (January 26) over Farm Laws, reports The Times of India on January 23. Following this, India’s Foreign Ministry on January 23 said that India has asked host countries to take appropriate action for ensuring the security of the mission premises. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, “we have raised the issue of security of our diplomatic mission with local authorities”. Read less...

The US-based banned pro-Khalistani group, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), announced a reward of USD 350,000 for unfurling the "Khalistani flag" on the Indian Parliament on February 1, when the Union Budget 2021-2022 will be presented, reports Yahoo News on January 27. In a video statement, SFJ’s General Counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun hailed the hoisting of the 'Nishan Sahib'—which he referred to as a "Khalistani flag"—during the "siege" of the Red Fort in Delhi on January 26. He announced a reward of USD 350,000 (INR 25 million) for unfurling the "Khalistani flag" at the Parliament on February 1. Read less...