Ludhiana blast main suspect was head constable fired for links with drug mafia

The man, who was killed in the Ludhiana district court complex blast, was identified as Gagandeep Singh, a resident of Khanna in Ludhiana. He was dismissed from the post of head constable in connection with a drug case, revealed Siddharth Chattopadhyaya, DGP of Punjab. The DGP appealed the youth of the state to stay away from drugs and narcotics.

Chandigarh: The suspect in the Ludhiana district court complex blast was a former head constable hailing from Khanna in Ludhiana, disclosed Siddharth Chattopadhyaya, DGP, Punjab. Identified as Gagandeep Singh, he was fired from his post in connection with a drug case.

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, the DGP said, "The deceased, former policeman Gagandeep Singh carried out the explosion. He was dismissed from service in 2019 and spent two years in jail following his arrest in a drug-trafficking case."

The DGP said that Khalistani links and narco-terrorism were visible even in the preliminary investigation. Although further investigation is being conducted, more disclosures will be made soon. He allayed the fears of people and asserted that some outside forces want to spoil the atmosphere of Punjab, but they will not be allowed to succeed. A meeting has been held with all the SSPs, Commissioners and necessary instructions have been given to them.

SIM card solved the mystery

The DGP Punjab said that the Ludhiana blast was a very powerful blast. "We have got a lot of leads from the spot. We found a tattoo on the hand of the deceased, after inspecting the spot, we realised that the deceased was carrying explosives. On investigation, we were convinced that this is true."

After being jailed for two years, Gagandeep was granted bail and his trial was going on. The next hearing was posted on 3 March, 2022. It is expected that in jail, he had made contacts with Khalistani elements, terror outfits, mafia outfits and narcotics smugglers in Punjab and abroad.

The DGP said that his SIM card was recovered from the blast spot. The CM and Home Minister also went to the spot after the blast, and the forensic team also went. "We assume that he was a human bomb, as the investigation is going on it is too early to confirm it."

Regarding the sacrilege of Sri Harmandir Sahib, the DGP Punjab said that a case has been registered and the matter will be finalised soon. Actually, the SGPC is responsible for the security of Harmandir Sahib, so investigation is being done with their cooperation. "Every angle is being seen on the CCTV. We are checking the background of the deceased, who is the conspirator etc. Soon, this matter will also be resolved. Law and order will not be allowed to be disturbed in Punjab elections, all officers have been instructed to remain active."

DGP admits security lapse

DGP Punjab said that during investigation it was found that the motive of the ex-constable was to connect the wires. He had gone to the bathroom to assemble it, but it ended in explosion. The DGP suspected that this is a big conspiracy ahead of the elections. He added that narco-terrorism is increasing in Punjab, and the pressure on the police and other law enforcement agencies like STF are also increasing.

He disclosed that narcotics business has a turnover of Rs 40,000 crore per year, and the first lead is they are being operated from across the border.

DGP appeals to the youth

DGP Punjab said that security will be beefed up across the 67 courts in Punjab. Meanwhile, the DGP has appealed to the youth to help Punjab Police make the state drug-free.