Ultras planned to kidnap ex-Gujarat CM, businessman

“Their plan was to raise large amounts of money by carrying out a series of abductions, which would then be used to fund terrorist activities in the country,” he told UNI.

The five ultras were caught by the Punjab police with the help of their counterpart in Gujarat. They have confessed to having snatched or stolen more than 100 cars and 18 trucks loaded with goods worth several lakh rupees, the SSP said.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Makhan Singh, who led the Punjab police party to Ahmedabad, said the five terrorists, including a lackey of the Dawood Ibrahim gang, were arrested when they were driving away a stolen car after having snatched at gun point, a truck loaded with clothes worth about Rs twenty lakh.

One Ibrahim alias Chacha of a Rajasthan village, a contact man of Dawood Ibrahim, was among those arrested. A smuggler from Kerala, Ashok Anna, also a lackey of Dawood, is yet to be arrested.

The vital lead, which helped Gurdaspur police achieve the breakthrough, was provided by Babbar Khalsa terrorist Saroop Singh who used to supply arms and explosives smuggled from Pakistan to the five accused. He had been tasked to set up a countrywide network with the assistance of henchmen of Dawood Ibrahim.

Besides Paramjit Singh and Ibrahim alias Chacha, the remaining three arrested accused were Sarabjit Singh alias Sabba, Sajjan Singh and Lakhwinder Singh Lakha.

Lakhwinder Singh, who alongwith two others, was caught in 1990 while trying to cross over to Pakistan, had spent four years in Jammu jail for the crime. It was during his detention, Lakhwinder had come into contact with Bitta of Doda, Ayub of Srinagar and Happy and Gurcharan of Jammu, the police officer said.

Ibrahim and Ashok Anna basically acted as middlemen of the terrorists who, through clandestine network in Mumbai, helped them dispose off stolen and looted goods and delivered the money to them in hotel Sabar in Mumbai. Services of one satta of Mumbai sometimes was also used by terrorists in disposing off the booty,he added.

The SSP said terrorists recalled that of the total 18 loaded trucks looted by them, at least three laden with pharmaceutical chemicals worth Rs seven lakh each, were snatched by them in Madhya Pradesh and sold in Ahmedabad.