Ludhiana Police Encounters 2 ISI-Linked Terror Suspects, Recovers Huge Cache Of Arms, Ammunition

Ludhiana: Two terror suspects were encountered by the Punjab Police in Ludhiana on Thursday, leaving them severely wounded. As per reports, the two suspects, allegedly belonging to a Pakistan‑based ISI network, were hospitalised in Ludhiana, where one remains in a critical condition. 

According to Ludhiana Police Commissioner Swapan Sharma, the operation was the result of weeks of intelligence work that had already netted three other members of the same cell, including Arsh from Bihar's Bhojpur, Ajay from Haryana's Fatehabad and Shamsher, a local from Ludhiana itself. The police official stated that each of the three had been assigned a different role within the terrorist group, and all had been receiving instructions from a handler operating out of Pakistan who used a virtual phone number to stay in touch with his operatives.

The police revealed that the two men who were shot had been given a specific task, and as per preliminary inquiry, they were assigned to pick up a pair of Chinese‑made grenades at a pre‑arranged spot and hand them over to another contact. The Ludhiana police, tipped off about the exchange, set a trap and waited. The police tried to corner the suspects as they arrived at the spot. However, the terror suspects opened fire on the police team, who returned fire in self‑defence. 

In the exchange, one of the terrorists was hit by three bullets while the other received a single shot. Both were taken to a nearby hospital, where they are being treated. 

During a press briefing, Police Commissioner Swapan Sharma explained that the entire module was being run by an ISI handler based in Pakistan, who used virtual numbers to coordinate activities across several states. He added that the police had recovered 2 Chinese‑made grenades, 5 sophisticated pistols that had been smuggled across the border, and a quantity of live ammunition from the scene. “They had come to collect the grenades,” Sharma told reporters, describing how the trap had been laid and the suspects had chosen to fire at the police, prompting the officers to return fire.

Meanwhile, the discovery has left everyone in the locality shocked and in fear. A shopkeeper, who runs a tea stall near the encounter site, said he heard the gunfire and saw a crowd of people running for cover. “It’s frightening to think that such a plot could be happening right here in our city,” he said.

The police have registered a case under the Explosives Act and the Arms Act and have initiated an investigation based on the interrogation. The police hinted that more arrests are likely as they trace the network’s financial and logistical support. 

Further details regarding the encounter of the terrorists in Ludhiana are awaited.