Punjab police with central agencies arrest 2nd accused in Chandigarh blast case

Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], September 15 : The Punjab Police, in coordination with Central Agencies and Delhi Police, arrested the second perpetrator of the Chandigarh Grenade Blast case within 72 hours.
The probe has revealed that USA-based wanted gangster Harpreet Singh alias Happy Passia, who is working on the behest of Pak-based Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terrorist Harvinder Singh alias Rinda and ISI, handled the accused by providing explosives, weapons, and logistical support but reneged on promised rewards to the accused persons.
"Following leads generated through various sources, second perpetrator Vishal Masih s/o Sabi Masih resident of village Raimal near Dhyanpur PS Kotli Surat Mallian, #Batala, District #Gurdaspur has been arrested from #Delhi," informed Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav in a post on his X handle (formerly Twitter).
On Wednesday evening, two individuals had executed a Grenade blast in Sector 10, Chandigarh. Since the incident strongly indicated a terror crime, Punjab Police and Central Agencies acted expeditiously and nabbed one of the accused Rohan Masih on Friday along with a weapon and ammunition. Rohan Masih is presently on remand with State Special Operation Cell (SSOC), Amritsar.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said that the investigation has revealed that Happy Passia provided accused persons with explosives, weapons and logistical support through his local associates in Punjab and also arranged some financial backing for them.
After committing the crime, the duo came to Amritsar and subsequently parted their ways, he said, while adding that Vishal first went to J&K and then moved to Delhi, when police teams apprehended him.
"The probe also revealed that Happy Passia initially provided funds to entice the individuals involved, with the promise of a substantial payment upon the successful execution of the criminal plan. After completing the task, both the accused persons contacted Happy Passia for promised rewards, only to be met with initial evasion and eventual radio silence," he said.
The DGP, while highlighting the exploitative nature of these anti-national elements, urged the youth to beware of these deceitful terrorist handlers who use and discard vulnerable individuals with false promises. Don't fall prey to such elements who will first exploit you by promising big rewards and then abandon you, he added.
Notably, this same pattern of betrayal by foreign handlers has been observed in the previous investigations as well, wherein such handlers initially lure the innocent local youth with false promises and later abandon them once the act is done.
Sharing more details, AIG SSOC Amritsar Sukhminder Singh Mann said that in-depth investigations in this case are being conducted in coordination with the Chandigarh Police to uncover the entire conspiracy and local network of Happy Passia. Police teams have procured the remand of accused Vishal Masih till September 20, 2024, after producing him in the court, he added.