Punjab man with links to Pakistan’s ISI handlers killed in encounter, aide escapes, say Amristar police

Singh, who was seriously injured, was rushed to the hospital, where he later died during treatment, the police said, adding that a search is on to nab his accomplice, identified as Sunny, a resident of the Attari area, who had fled the scene.

The police said that Singh, a “frequent jail visitor” who was released on November 7, had “recently been involved” in planning a targeted killing before Wednesday’s encounter.

Officers said that a team set up a checkpoint after receiving information that Harjinder Singh and an unidentified accomplice were roaming on a motorcycle with the intent to carry out the alleged hit.

According to the police, when the police team signalled the motorcycle to stop, the two men allegedly turned the vehicle around and opened fire at the police party. The officials claimed they initially fired in the air, but the duo “continued to fire indiscriminately”, with one of the bullets allegedly hitting a police vehicle.

Investigators claimed that an initial examination of Harjinder Singh’s mobile phone led them to virtual foreign numbers, allegedly indicating active communication with Pakistan-based ISI handlers and foreign gangsters.

The police have reportedly recovered one Glock pistol (with three empty cartridges and four live rounds in its magazine), one .30-bore pistol (with one empty cartridge and one live round), and a motorcycle allegedly used by the accused.

They alleged that the type of firearms recovered suggested the accused were using “newly refurbished” weapons, which they claimed were likely facilitated through Pakistan-based networks.

The police claimed that they registered a case on November 19 under Section 25(8) of the Arms Act at Chheharta police station in Amritsar, acting on specific intelligence inputs about a planned targeted killing.

Following the encounter, they registered a second case — FIR No. 235 on Thursday, under Sections 109, 132, 221, 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 25 of the Arms Act.

The operation was led by Ravinderpal Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detective), and the team comprised Jagbinder Singh, ADCP (Detective), Harminder Singh Sandhu, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Detective), among others.

The police said that further investigation is underway to verify the alleged foreign links, the origin of the weapons, and the broader network behind the purported targeted killing plot.