Pak-made hand grenade smuggled via drone used in Chandigarh blast: Probe

The blast targeting retired superintendent of police Jaskirat Singh Chahal in Sector 10 on Wednesday evening involved the use of a Pakistan-made hand grenade that was smuggled into the country through drone, police probe has revealed.
Initial investigations indicate that the grenade, procured via Pakistan’s ISI at the Punjab border, was used by suspects linked to US-based Khalistani gangster Happy Passia, who runs a terrorist module backed by Pakistan.
The HG-84 hand grenade, an Austrian-designed anti-personnel fragmentation weapon, is known for its devastating impact, capable of spreading shrapnel up to 30 metres. The grenade used in the attack is similar to those seized by Punjab Police in 2020 during the busting of a drone module in Amritsar, where authorities recovered 11 Arges-84 hand grenades dropped by drones from Pakistan.
In the 2018 Amritsar blast case, the then chief minister Amarinder Singh had claimed that the grenade used in the attack (HG-84) was the similar to the ones manufactured by the Pakistan army.
While Austrian in origin, the HG-84 grenade is also produced under licence by Pakistan Ordnance Factories and is widely used by the Pakistan army. Police said the suspects obtained the grenade through a sophisticated drone operation.
According to police, the attack was an act of revenge for the deaths of four youths during a police firing incident in Nakodar in 1986, in which Chahal, then serving as the local SHO, was involved.
Until two years ago, Chahal had been living on rent on the first floor of the Sector 10 house.
Police sources state the suspects were allegedly paid ₹50,000 by the terror outfit, with a promise of more after the task was completed.
The operation is believed to be coordinated by Pakistan-based Babbar Khalsa International terrorist Harwinder Singh Rinda, with support from Happy Passia.
Police to quiz auto driver
Police have also taken Kuldeep, an auto driver, into custody on a four-day remand after he ferried the attackers to and from the scene. Investigators had sought an eight-day remand but were granted only four by the court. Police plan to cross-examine Kuldeep alongside the other suspects to further investigate his possible involvement.
According to police officials, the suspects had conducted a recce of the Sector 10 house two days before the attack, using the same auto driven by Kuldeep.
During the recce on September 9, the two suspects had a brief conversation with a man named Sanjay at the Sector-43 ISBT, which lasted for around two minutes. Sanjay is known for arranging hotel accommodations for passengers near the bus stand.
Main accused held in Amritsar
One of the accused in the blast case, Rohan Masih, a resident of Passia Village, was arrested by Punjab Police on Friday. The accused was acquainted with US-based gangster Happy Passia, as both hail from the same village.
Rohan had been living in Jammu and Kashmir for the past one and a half years, working as a carpenter. It was Rohan who lobbed the hand grenade at the Sector 10 house after sourcing it from across the border via drone, said police.
Police sources revealed that on the day of the attack, Masih was carrying both a pistol and a hand grenade. A drug addict, he has been disowned by his family due to his criminal involvement.
Chandigarh Police will bring Masih on production warrant after the seven-day remand secured by Amritsar police gets over.
Another suspect, Vishal, also from the same village, has also been identified and police are working to trace him.