5 suspects responsible for Amritsar bomb blasts held

Punjab Police has nabbed five suspects, including two perpetrators, in connection with three bomb blasts near Amritsar's Golden Temple. Following two incidents on May 6, 2023, and May 8, 2023, the third explosion occurred at midnight on May 10, 2023.

Making the announcement, Punjab Police DGP Gaurav Yadav said that the Amritsar low-intensity explosion cases have been solved. According to the Police statement, the accused have been identified as Azad Bir Singh (36) of village Wadala Kalan in Baba Bakala, Amrik Singh of Gurdaspur, Saheb Singh of Gate Hakima Angarh, Dharminder and Harjeet, residents of the 88-foot road in Amritsar. The Police recovered 1.1 kg of explosive materials, a mixture of chlorates and bromides used to make crackers and mobile phones from the accused.

Yadav, while addressing a press conference, said that the Amritsar Commissionerate Police and Counter Intelligence Wing of Punjab Police solved the case and he thanked the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee for the support and cooperation. CCTV footage of the third blast at Guru Ramdas Sarai at around midnight showed the accused Azad Bir Singh with a crude bomb in the park behind.

The police nabbed Bir Singh and Amrik Singh, the two who took responsibility for all three blasts. Investigations revealed that the accused individuals used containers such as energy drink cans and tiffin packed in polythene bags to carry out blasts using a thick thread that triggered the blasts while hitting the ground. The trio have been arrested for supplying the explosives, DGP Yadav revealed.

While not ruling out links of arrested persons with Pakistan-based agencies or Pro-Khalistani elements, Yadav said that prima facie it seems that the main perpetrators in this case were individually radicalised. "Police teams are investigating the case from all angles," the DGP emphasized.