Petrol bombs emerging as terror tool

Amritsar police said on August 5 they had dismantled two alleged Pakistan-based ISI-backed terror modules and recovered four petrol bombs, three illegal pistols and nine live cartridges. The arrests of nine people, including four juveniles, have pushed petrol bombs into the center of Punjab’s latest terror investigation, after a run of grenade and improvised explosive device cases in the state. Investigators say the devices are drawing interest because they can be assembled locally with simple materials and used to create panic without the logistics needed for firearms or military-grade explosives. Punjab Police has tied the latest case to alleged online training, hawala funding and reconnaissance of railway and security sites. ### Why are petrol bombs featuring in this case now? The Tribune reported on August 6 that investigators believe petrol bombs are emerging as a low-cost option for targeted attacks in Punjab. In the Amritsar case, police said foreign-based handlers allegedly instructed recruits on preparing and using the devices and arranged bottles and petrol for a planned operation. Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar told PTI that some members of one module travelled to Delhi’s Jantar Mantar during a student protest with logistical support and materials for making petrol bombs, but did not carry out the plan. (tribuneindia.com) Bhullar said the accused later returned without executing the attack. ### What do police say the modules were supposed to do? (tribuneindia.com) Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said preliminary investigation found the accused were allegedly acting at the direction of foreign-based ISI handlers. Police said the recruits were being used to procure illegal weapons, conduct surveillance of security installations, disturb public peace and, in one strand of the case, create disorder at a protest site. (indiatoday.in) India Today, citing Bhullar, reported that one module had also been tasked with reconnaissance of security establishments and uniformed personnel, and that members were asked to target police and other uniformed forces. Tribune reported separately that investigators found alleged online instruction on preparing petrol bombs. ### How does this connect to other recent attacks in Punjab? (tribuneindia.com) On July 12, three petrol bombs were allegedly hurled at the residence of Vikram Singh in Pandori Waraich village in Amritsar district after an extortion demand of 3 million rupees, The Tribune reported. Amritsar Rural Police arrested two alleged assailants on July 15 after what the newspaper described as a brief exchange of fire near Bhaini village. (indiatoday.in) In Sangrur, The Tribune said two men were arrested after petrol bombs were allegedly thrown at a Bharatiya Janata Party office on the night of July 26-27. The newspaper reported that the accused filmed the attack and were paid an advance of 2,200 rupees against a larger promised amount. ### Why are juveniles and local recruits a concern in this probe? Four of the nine people apprehended in the Amritsar operation were juveniles, according to police. (tribuneindia.com) Tribune reported that investigators believe foreign-based handlers were trying to recruit young and inexperienced locals for simple assignments, while Bhullar said it was concerning that juveniles were being lured into anti-national activity. The Tribune said the devices fit that pattern because they can be assembled locally without sophisticated supply chains. That assessment was attributed to investigators, who are still probing the exact links between recent petrol-bomb incidents and broader terror networks. ### What else are investigators tracing besides the bombs themselves? Punjab Police said the probe found CCTV cameras had been installed near railway tracks and footage was allegedly shared with foreign-based handlers. (tribuneindia.com) Separate FIRs have been registered at Mohkampura, Airport and C-Division police stations in Amritsar. Gaurav Yadav said further investigation would seek to identify remaining members of the network, establish forward and backward linkages, trace the financial trail and determine whether the suspects were involved in other terror-related activity. (tribuneindia.com) Those next steps, along with the three Amritsar FIRs and the alleged hawala channels described by Bhullar, are now the main lines of the case. (etvbharat.com) (tribuneindia.com)