- By Priyanka Koul
- Thu, 20 Nov 2025 09:42 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
In a major breakthrough, Punjab Police carried out an operation near Ladowal Toll Plaza, situated on the Delhi-Amritsar National Highway in Ludhiana on thursday. The operation targeted a multi-state gangster-terror module backed by the ISI, with connections to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
During the operation, two individuals associated with the Pakistan-based ISI module were shot in an encounter. They were both rushed to hospital, with one in critical condition.
Authorities seized two Chinese-made grenades, five pistols smuggled across the border, and live ammunition. Previously, three other members of the same module had been arrested.
This development follows the Special NIA Court in New Delhi granting the National Investigation Agency (NIA) eleven days of custody of Anmol Bishnoi, brother of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, after his deportation from the US.
Ludhiana Police Commissioner Swapan Sharma confirmed that the terror module was being coordinated by an ISI handler in Pakistan, who communicated with the operatives using virtual numbers. The arrested individuals included Arsh from Bihar, Ajay from Haryana, and Shamsher from Ludhiana.
Swapan Sharma said, "A terror module was being handled by Pakistan-based ISI. Their handler is based out of Pakistan and used to call up at various locations, touching different elements. Based on this information, we had already arrested 3 people - Arsh from Bhojpur in Bihar, Ajay from Fatehabad in Haryana and Shamsher from Ludhiana in Punjab. Every individual was tasked with different responsibilities. They used to receive calls from a virtual number operating from Pakistan; the handler was from Pakistan's ISI...In the encounter today, the Pakistan-based handler had tasked these two individuals to exchange grenades at designated spots..."
Trap Set for Grenade Exchange
According to Commissioner Sharma, the suspects were in the process of exchanging grenades at designated locations when the police set a trap. Upon discovering the police presence, the suspects opened fire, prompting officers to return fire in self-defence.
The shootout resulted in one suspect being hit by three bullets and the other by one. Both suspects were immediately transported to a nearby hospital, where one remains in a critical condition.
Image Credits: Jagran.com
"A trap was set for them, and they fired at the Police...Police resorted to retaliatory firing. One of them was hit by 3 bullets and the other was hit by 1. They were rushed to the hospital, one of them is very critical...Two Chinese-made grenades, 5 sophisticated pistols which came from across the border and live bullets have been recovered. They had come to collect grenades," Ludhiana Police Commissioner Swapan Sharma said.
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Connections to Lawrence Bishnoi Gang
Further investigation into the arrested suspects revealed deeper ties to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, a criminal syndicate with a notorious reputation in Punjab and beyond. The police also arrested three additional suspects during the operation, including one individual with connections to Pawan, the brother of Harry (Harjinder Singh), who was involved in a high-profile shooting incident at Bollywood actor Salman Khan's residence in Mumbai. Harry has since been taken into custody.
Punjab Police reported that Harjinder Singh, also known as Harry, was shot during the operation. Harry had recently been released on bail and was taken to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. Authorities are now searching for his associate, Sunny, a resident of Attari, who managed to escape during the confrontation.
Harry, aged approximately 32, had five criminal cases registered against him, including one in Pathankot. He was known to have connections with international gangsters and Pakistan’s ISI. The group allegedly smuggled weapons from Pakistan using drones, and police recovered two pistols during the operation.