Jaipur: The Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) of the CID (CB) Police Headquarters, Rajasthan, in collaboration with the Special Operation Cell, Amritsar, has foiled a major terror plot linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, officials confirmed on Monday.

The accused had planned grenade blast attacks in Nawashahr (Jalandhar, Punjab) and intended to carry out further explosions in Delhi and Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) around Independence Day. On July 7, a gang member detonated a grenade in front of a liquor shop in Nawashahr with the aim of spreading terror and extorting money.

Following investigations, police tracked the suspects to Jaipur and Tonk, Rajasthan, where they were arrested last Sunday before they could execute additional attacks. The undercover operation, directed by ADGP Crime Dinesh M.N. and supervised by ASP Siddhant Sharma, was led by Inspector Ram Singh and SI Narendra Singh in high-risk zones.

The arrested individuals include Jitendra Chaudhary (Tonk), Sanjay (Hanumangarh), and Sonu alias Kali (Punjab), along with three minors. They have been handed over to the Punjab Police. Interrogations revealed that their handler was Zeeshan Akhtar, who operates from Canada and had previously claimed responsibility for the murder of Baba Siddique in Mumbai.

Zeeshan Akhtar collaborates with Pakistani gangster Shahzad Bhatti and associates Manu Agwan and Gopi Navasharia (Punjab), recruiting local youths through Instagram and other online platforms by luring them with promises of money for criminal activities. He provided grenades to the accused, who carried out the Nawashahr blast before fleeing to Rajasthan. Zeeshan had tasked them with planning major blasts in Delhi and Gwalior, timed around August 15.

This coordinated crackdown by the AGTF CID (CB) included several team members for operational and technical support. Investigations are ongoing to identify more network members and prevent further attacks.

With inputs from IANS