Three with radical links arrested in Punjab

Three persons with suspected radical links were arrested on Friday for allegedly planning to carry out criminal activities in Punjab, officials said.

A state police spokesperson said Baljit Singh of Ajnala, Manjit Singh of Amritsar and Jagdev Singh of Gurdwara Baba Bakala were arrested from Amritsar and two .32 bore pistols, three magazines and 14 live cartridges were recovered from their possession.

The three allegedly have association with different radical organisations and actively participate in radical activities in Punjab, he said.

The trio were in touch through social media and were planning to target the persons responsible for incidents of sacrilege in Punjab and leaders of Shiv Sena, the spokesman said.

The accused allegedly procured the weapons from Indore in Madhya Pradesh. "The origin of the recovered weapons is being ascertained and the supplier will be identified," he added.

Baljit had worked as a 'granthi' (priest) at a gurudwara in Nagpur, Maharashtra for about four years and recently shifted to Ajnala in Amritsar district.

He was allegedly associated with different radical organisations and during the search of his residence at Ajnala, literature relating to different radical organisations was found and seized.

"It is also being ascertained if the accused were being funded and tasked by the radical organisations. Besides, the Indian and foreign contacts of the arrested accused are also being looked into," he added.