Three militants held in MP: Punjab Police

Three militants owing allegiance to Khalistani elements were arrested from Gwalior city in Madhya Pradesh, Punjab Police said on Thursday.

Balkar Singh, Balwinder Singh and Satinder Singh Rawat, were arrested by Punjab Police Special Operation Cell, Amritsar, in tandem with Madhya Pradesh Police on Wednesday.

The three allegedly have links with Pakistan-based International Sikh Youth Federation chief Lakhbir Singh Rode.

A Punjab Police spokesperson said the militants were wanted in connection with the seizure of arms, sent by Rode, on the India-Pakistan border on May 21. They were also supplying weapons to terrorists in Punjab and were funded from abroad.

The spokesperson said the names of the three terrorists cropped up during the probe into the May 21 arms seizure.

"The three have links to Canada-based Gurjeet Singh Cheema, a former resident of Jogi Cheema village in Gurdaspur district, whose name too had figured in the seizure of arms supplied by Rode," the spokesperson said.

The militants had supplied three pistols to Maan Singh and Gurpreet Singh, both residents of Jeewanwala village in Faridkot district and Simarjit Singh of Kamaalpur village in Ludhiana district, who were arrested earlier in connection with the May 21 seizure.

The three pistols have since been seized from Maan Singh, Gurpreet Singh and Simarjit Singh, he added.

The spokesperson said Cheema had come to India earlier this year and travelled to Gwalior along with Maan Singh and another person to collect the pistols, which were to be used in Punjab to attack "anti-panthic forces/individuals".

On May 21, the Border Security Force and Punjab Police seized a cache of arms, including an AK-47 assault rifle, five hand grenades, a modified machine-pistol, five pistols and over 450 rounds of ammunition of different calibre near the India-Pakistan border.

--IANS

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