The arrest of four alleged persons associated with the activities of the banned Khalistani outfit and its remote connection with Adilabad in the transportation of explosives and firearms has brought into sharp focus the clandestine activities.
Adilabad could have been a mere transit point for this consignment as various security sources revealed. What has baffled the intelligence and security forces is whether this was the first bid or if this route was used on an earlier occasions too.
Speaking to this correspondent, Karnal Range Inspector General of Police, Satender Kumar Gupta said that the consignment of arms, ammunition and explosives was meant to be delivered to an unknown person in Adilabad at a specific location shared by their Pakistan-based handler Harvinder Singh.
Singh, who migrated to Nanded in Maharashtra from Punjab, was involved in several cases, including murder, extortion, and terror activities. He fled to Pakistan via Nepal. The four suspected terrorists were identified as Bhupinder Singh from Ludhiana, Gurpreet Singh, Parminder Singh and Amandeep Singh from Ferozpur.
Mr. Gupta said that the terror suspects were nabbed near Bastara toll plaza and they seized three containers each weighing 2.5 kg suspected to contain RDX, a pistol and 31 round live cartridges, apart from ₹1.3 lakh cash from their SUV vehicle.
They were basically acting as couriers and would have returned back after handling over these explosives, arms and ammunition at a designated point at Adilabad. “From there another group waiting for them would take it to the destination.” he said.
According to the officer, the handler of the arrested group, who was familiar with the area as he lived in Nanded, had shared the geographical coordinates of the destination in Adilabad to deliver the explosives and weapons. They were also using WhatsApp, Signal and other internet-based messaging applications for communication.
“We have shared workable inputs, including coordinates and some photographs, with Telangana police. We are in constant touch with them and are hoping to get some result,” said Mr. Gupta.
If not caught, the suspected terrorists would have reached Adilabad by Friday evening and started their journey back home once the consignment was shifted to another vehicle.
Gun-running not new to Adilabad
Adilabad, a small but buzzing town in northern Telangana, has a chequered history of gun-running activities for the past three decades. The latest arrest in Haryana has again brought Adilabad into focus. Police officials recall earlier seizures in the district, which was once a hot bed of naxalite activities in the late 80s and well-entrenched into the 90s and first half of 2000.
Logistically, it was a strategic point for outlawed outfits also in terms of movement of firearms. At the peak of the PWG movement in the unified Andhra Pradesh, police raided a transport office in the town in 2003 and found a lathe machine and other metal parts used for manufacturing guns. Police found that the consignment was meant for the underground cadres of the banned outfit and destined to the deep jungles via Utnoor.
A few years before the lathe machine was caught, in 1998 a large number of guns and other weapons were seized from the official vehicle of a well-known politician. However, he was let off after the involvement of some political bosses.
Sometime in 1996, a year before the politician was caught, two firearms were seized from a cloth merchant in the town.
Strategically, the town is at a vantage point as it provides a seamless connectivity between north and south with the longest highway in India passing through.
