The arrested accused was working at the behest of handlers based in Armenia, UK and Germany linked to a Pakistan-based mastermind: DGP Gaurav Yadav

 In Amritsar, the main director of the terrorist module was arrested along with two IEDs and a pistol

 According to investigation, the consignment was sent by a Pakistan-based handler via drone in Amritsar's Ajnala sector: AIG SSOC Amritsar Sukhminder Mann

Amritsar, October 25:In a major breakthrough during the special operation to make Punjab a safe state under the direction of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the State Special Operations Cell (SSOC) Amritsar arrested the chief operative of a terrorist module and recovered from his possession two Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) weighing around 2.5-2.5 kg — packed in metal containers with high-quality RDX and equipped with timers — and a modern .30 bore pistol. including live cartridges have been recovered. This information was given today by Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav.

The arrested accused has been identified as Manpreet Singh alias Tiddi, resident of village Kotla Tarkhana, Amritsar. This person has a criminal background and two criminal cases are registered against him in police station Sadar Batala and Kalanur. He was released in February 2025 after serving almost a year and a half in jails in Gurdaspur and Amritsar, after which he resumed criminal activities.

DGP Gaurav Yadav said that preliminary investigation has revealed that the accused was acting on the instructions of his handlers, who are based in Armenia, United Kingdom (UK) and Germany and who are receiving instructions from the mastermind of a Pakistan-based banned terror outfit. He said that the matter is being investigated further so that the entire network can be exposed.

Giving information about the operation, AIG SSOC Amritsar Sukhminder Singh Mann said that the SSOC team arrested the suspect Manpreet Singh alias Tiddi and recovered .30 bore pistol and live cartridges from his possession. Two IEDs packed in metal containers with high quality RDX and equipped with timers were also recovered from village Kotla Tarkhana area on the accused's statement.

AIG said that the investigation also revealed that the consignment was sent via drone in Ajnala sector by a Pakistan-based handler about two weeks ago. The arrested accused received this consignment and hid it on the bank of a canal near his village Kotla Tarkhana. The handlers ordered him to remain alert and wait for further instructions to hand over the IED to another person.

In this regard, FIR No. 63, dated 25.10.2025, has been registered at Police Station SSOC Amritsar, in which a case has been registered under Section 25 of the Arms Act, Sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act and Sections 111 and 61(2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).