The arrest of three men with purported ties to pro-Khalistani organisations by Sonepat police on Tuesday claimed to have cracked a module.

The accused were allegedly involved in targeted killings in Punjab at the behest of their handlers abroad, and had allegedly received funds from pro-Khalistan groups to create a climate of fear in Punjab and other regions of the country, according to authorities.

The suspects, named as Sagar, alias Binni, Sunil, alias Pahalwan, and Jatin, alias Rajesh, were apprehended in their native Juan hamlet in Sonepat, according to police. According to the authorities, they had an AK 47 assault weapon with 49 bullets and three foreign-made pistols in their possession.

The accused three were allegedly in contact with Khalistani separatists Lakhbir Singh Rode (International Sikh Youth Federation, based in Pakistan), Gurjant Singh, alias Janta, based in Australia, and Hardeep Singh Nijjar and Arshdeep Singh Dala, both based in Canada, according to police.

Three males from a village in Sonepat were in contact with militants from pro-Khalistani organisations Khalistan Tiger Force and International Sikh Youth Federation through various social media apps, according to Sonepat SP Rahul Sharma. He said they were apprehended after a raid by Crime Branch personnel.

“Preliminary probe has found that the accused were involved in targeted kills in Punjab to create an atmosphere of fear,” Sharma said. “They have carried out a murder and were planning to commit more. They received funding from abroad and we are checking details of their bank accounts. So far, we have found that they had received Rs 5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh from Khalistani outfits abroad.”

The SP said: “It cannot be specifically said that they had planned killings around the time of Punjab elections but investigation has found that one murder took place in December and another had been planned close to the elections. The handlers based abroad and their hidden modules provided weapons to the accused from Mohali and Kharar. The handlers made arrangements for their accommodation, vehicles and provided them with a target for the killings.”

According to police, the gang’s kingpin, Sagar, alias Binny, was an associate of a gangster named Ravinder Pughthala, who was killed in an encounter in 2017 and had been charged with attempted murder and violating the Arms Act in several cases.

According to police, the accused killed one Avtar Singh on December 8 at Udhampur Kalan village in Morinda, Ropar, on the orders of Arshdeep Singh, and were planning another murder in Mohali.

Police said they had identified another of the accused’s Sonepat associates and were conducting raids to apprehend him. Punjab police teams have been notified and are en route to question the suspects, according to police.

According to police, a FIR has been filed at the Mohana police station in Sonepat under Sections 16, 17, 18, 20, 21 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC, and the Arms Act.

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