NIA nets key suspect in Amritsar temple grenade attack from Bihar

In a significant breakthrough in the investigation of the March 2025 Amritsar temple grenade attack, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) apprehended a key terror suspect late Friday night, bringing authorities a step closer to unraveling the web of a transnational terror network.

The accused, identified as Sharanjit Kumar alias Sunny, a resident of Bhaini Bangar, Qadian in Batala, Gurdaspur district, Punjab, was apprehended from Gaya, Bihar.

On 15 March 2025, two bike-borne assailants, Gursidak Singh and Vishal Gill, carried out the attack under instructions from foreign-based handlers in Europe, the US, and Canada. According to the NIA, the handlers provided funds, explosives, logistical support, and target details to operatives in India.

Sharanjit played a pivotal role by receiving a consignment of four grenades in Batala on March 1 and handing one to the attackers just days before the strike. Following the attack, he went into hiding during NIA raids, evading authorities for months.

Based on human and technical intelligence, Sharanjit was tracked to Gopalpur village along the Delhi-Kolkata National Highway 2 in Gaya’s Sherghati block. In a coordinated late-night raid with local police, the NIA arrested him.

“Sharanjit was very clever, often disguising himself as a truck driver and using fake identities. He had a hideout in a roadside lodge on GT Road,” said Ajit Kumar, Sherghati police station in-charge.

Cases have been registered under the Explosives Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Sharanjit has been taken to Chandigarh for interrogation. Further investigations aim to uncover the full extent of the transnational terror network behind the Amritsar attack.

The NIA and Bihar police have previously arrested several accused associated with the Popular Front of India (PFI) across the state.

With IANS inputs