Patiala freight corridor rail track blast One more held

Chandigarh, May 2 (PTI) Punjab Police on Saturday said it has arrested one more person in connection with the freight corridor railway track blast in Shambhu in Patiala.
     Gurjinder Singh alias Baba Beant has been arrested by the State Special Operation Cell in Amritsar, Patiala Police and Counter Intelligence wing in Pathankot in a joint operation, said Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav.
     Gurjinder is a key associate of Jagroop Singh, who was killed while attempting to detonate the explosives at the track on the night of April 27.
     "Preliminary investigation revealed his role in the Shambhu blast, Sirhind railway track blast, and grenade attack on CIA #Moga, all executed under the directions of foreign-based handlers," Yadav said in a post on X.
     A pro-Khalistan terror module, backed by Pakistan's ISI, was responsible for the blast, while four of its members were arrested earlier.
     The explosion occurred near Bothonia village on the rail track dedicated to freight trains, causing damage and leaving a small crater beneath the railway line, police said.
     The explosion was initially described as a low-intensity blast. However, an investigation later determined it was an attempt to blow up the track, police stated.
     It was the second such attempt in the past three months, targeting the freight rail corridor track. Earlier in January, a blast on a dedicated freight corridor railway track in Fatehgarh Sahib's Sirhind damaged a train engine and left a loco pilot injured.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)