Setback for Patiala police, mastermind arrested by CIA, Counter Intelligence takes lead in solving cases
Kanwar Inder singh/ royalpatiala.in News/ July 24,2025
In a major breakthrough on July 20,2025 Counter Intelligence (CI) Patiala and State Special Operation Cell (SSOC), SAS Nagar had busted a Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terror module— being operated by foreign-based handlers Maninder Billa and Manu Agwan— with the arrest of its three members involved in grenade attacks on police posts at Badshahpur in Patiala and Ajimgarh in Haryana, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav ,where as the mastermind was arrested by Patiala Police around three weeks ago.
Those arrested by CI, Patiala have been identified as Sandeep Singh alias Deepu, a resident of Badshahpur in Patiala, Harpreet Singh alias Jagga, a resident of Harchandpura in Patiala, Harmanpreet Singh alias Preet, a resident of Gurdialpura in Patiala are involved in grenade attacks at Police Post Badshahpur in Patiala on April 1, 2025, and Police Post Ajimgarh near Punjab border in Haryana on April 6, 2025. With their arrests by CI Patiala, Punjab Police has solved both incidents of grenade attacks on police establishments in the state.
Sharing the details immediately after the arrests, AIG CI Patiala Dr Simrat Kaur said during the interrogation, arrested accused persons have confessed that attacks at both the police establishments were masterminded by their associate identified as Gurpreet Singh alias Babbu, who is lodged in Patiala Jail and currently is in the Police custody.
Now the twist is, the mastermind Gurpreet Singh alias Babbu is arrested by the CIA, Patiala after a brief encounter on Patiala-Sirhind road on June 30,2025. The accused sustained a bullet injury in his leg during the encounter. Later the Police had also recovered some illegal weapons from the accused.
After the encounter, Patiala SSP Varun Sharma along with SP, D, Patiala Gurbans Singh Bains had said the accused is already facing five FIRs of dacoity, theft using firearms, involved in a bank robbery by snatching a weapon from the security guard of the bank, without mentioning anything about twin blats on Police posts.
As per sources, “Patiala police admitted the mastermind Gurpreet Singh alias Babbu to hospital as he had sustained a bullet injury in the encounter and later sent to judicial custody without interrogating him. Had the Patiala police questioned him thoroughly, he might have revealed the same “that he is the master mind of twin blasts on police posts”.
Meanwhile SP, D, Patiala Gurbans Singh Bains couldn’t be contacted despite repeated calls to know whether the Patiala police had interrogated the accused mastermind Gurpreet Singh alias Babbu after the encounter or not.
When contacted AIG, CI, Patiala Simrat Kaur she said “accused mastermind Gurpreet Singh alias Babbu along with Sandeep Singh alias Deepu and Harpreet Singh alias Jagga threw bomb at Police Post Badshahpur. But at Police Post Ajimgarh Gurpreet Singh alias Babbu threw bomb along with another accused Harmanpreet Singh alias Preet.”
Kaur added that Gurpreet Singh Babbu, a 10th pass , a combine operator had promised to financially help the trio but no money was given to them after the incidents. He had promised Sandeep Singh alias Deepu Rs 3-4 lakh for participating in the Badshahpur attack, while, Harmanpreet Singh alias Preet was paid Rs 10,000 for accompanying in the Ajimgarh attack.
As per available information, one of the accused is under debt. Harpreet Singh alias Jagga is 12th pass and was a promising Kabaddi player. He had cleared the Army recruitment test but failed to clear the medical test as he has a flat foot.
