Ludhiana Blast: Bomber an Ex-Cop; Had Drugs Trade, Khalistani Links, Says DGP

One person had died while five others were injured in an explosion at the Ludhiana District Court Complex.

Ludhiana blast.

(Photo: The Quint)

One person who was killed in a blast at the Ludhiana Court Complex on Thursday has been determined to be the bomber and also a cop, the Punjab Police said on Saturday, 25 December.

The perpetrator, Gagandeep Singh, had been dismissed from the police force in 2019 following his involvement in a drug case.

"The Ludhiana blast was a very powerful blast. We were wondering why such a powerful blast will be carried out. We found many leads at the site. I suppose you would have seen that we found some clothes, garments, mobile phone, sim card, and the tattoo on the arm of the deceased," Punjab DGP Siddharth Chattopadhyaya told the media.

"He turned out to be a dismissed head constable of Punjab police who had been arrested by the STF for carrying narcotic drugs. The case in this regard was registered way back in 2019. This was FIR number 75, dated 11 August 2019 under the NDPS act," he said.

'Had Khalistani Links'

Chattopadhyaya further said that the dismissed cop was caught with 385 grams of heroine back then and 400 grams more heroine was discovered from his accomplices.

"Gagandeep was out on bail after spending two years in jail. He had links with Khalistani outfits, terror outfits, mafia outfits, and narcotic smugglers within Punjab as well as abroad," the Punjab top cop added.

Calling it a "dangerous cocktail of narco, organised crime and terrorism," Chattopadhyaya congratulated the Punjab police for unravelling the mystery at the earliest.

The Blast

One person had died while five others were injured in an explosion in a public toilet at the Ludhiana District Court Complex on Thursday.

Five people who were also injured in the explosion and are undergoing treatment in different hospitals in the city.

Additional DCP BS Randhawa on Thursday said that the security has been tightened outside the court complex in Ludhiana, even as the court is running as usual.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Charanjit Channi on Friday sought the Centre's assistance in the blast case.

The chief minister indicated that he had spoken to Home Minister Amit Shah shortly after the blast took place, and that the central government has dispatched teams to Punjab in order to probe the case.