Punjab on High Alert Over Suspected Threat to Military Sites

• Agencies have alerted Punjab Police over a suspected threat to military installations in Amritsar.
• The input names two alleged Pakistan-based operatives, identified as Rana Bhai and Malik.
• Reconnaissance of Khasa Cantonment and Budha Theh is reportedly suspected.
• Security agencies are verifying the intelligence and increasing surveillance around sensitive locations.

GG News Bureau
Chandigarh, 24th Aug: Intelligence agencies have sounded a high alert in Punjab following an input about a suspected plan by the Pakistan-based Shahzad Bhatti network to target military installations in the Amritsar region.

The intelligence input, shared with Punjab Police and other security agencies, reportedly names two Pakistan-based operatives identified as Rana Bhai and Malik and warns of a possible attack on an Army establishment in the district. Agencies have been asked to treat the information seriously and strengthen security around sensitive installations.

According to the input, reconnaissance of Khasa Cantonment in Amritsar and the Budha Theh military establishment near Beas may have already been carried out. Security agencies are working to verify the information and identify those allegedly involved.

The alert assumes added significance following the May 5 low-intensity blast near the Khasa Army Cantonment boundary wall. Punjab Police had said an improvised explosive device was used in that incident, which damaged a sheet along the perimeter. A separate blast occurred the same night outside the BSF Punjab Frontier headquarters in Jalandhar.

Investigations into the May incidents have previously pointed towards the alleged involvement of Shahzad Bhatti and his network. However, officials have not established a direct link between the May blast and the latest intelligence input.

Bhatti network under scrutiny

Shahzad Bhatti, a Pakistan-based gangster, has emerged in several Indian investigations involving alleged cross-border terror and organised criminal networks. Investigators have accused his associates of recruiting local youths, arranging weapons and explosives and carrying out reconnaissance and other tasks.

In one earlier Delhi Police investigation, an operative identified as Rana Bhai was allegedly described as an associate of Bhatti who recruited individuals through social media. Investigators had also traced an alleged weapons-related operation to Amritsar.

Punjab Police investigations into the May 5 Jalandhar blast also alleged that Bhatti was the mastermind. Two accused were arrested in connection with the case, with investigators alleging that one was tasked with planting the explosive device while another recorded the operation.

The latest intelligence input has therefore prompted heightened vigilance around military establishments in the Amritsar belt. Agencies are expected to increase surveillance around Khasa Cantonment, Budha Theh and other sensitive locations while verifying the threat assessment.

Officials are also examining whether local recruits or facilitators may have been involved in any alleged reconnaissance activity.

The alert is being treated as a preventive security measure. The intelligence input, by itself, does not establish that an attack is imminent, and security agencies continue to assess its credibility and potential threat level.