Chandigarh, July 16: A targeted extortion attempt has led to the arrest of two armed assailants in Amritsar, exposing a direct operational link to a fugitive currently residing in Portugal. Local police officials affirmed that the arrested individuals, residents of Bal Khurd village, carried out a petrol bomb attack on a local businessman’s property under direct instructions from abroad.
The confrontation occurred when a police team, acting on precise intelligence regarding the movement of the suspects, established a checkpoint near the Baoli village bus stand. The suspects, who were traveling on a motorcycle, allegedly fired upon the police personnel in an attempt to break through the blockade. Officers returned fire, injuring one suspect before taking both into custody and recovering the weapon used in the attack.
The investigation revealed that the victim had previously received threatening communication from the Portugal-based operative demanding a significant payout. Security analysts declared that when the property dealer declined to pay the sum, the overseas handler dispatched local network members to execute the petrol bomb attack as a retaliatory warning, causing substantial damage to the house.
The principal handler, who faces multiple charges of transnational crime, is also the subject of an ongoing investigation by the National Investigation Agency for previous high-profile regional attacks. State authorities asserted that specialized units are coordinating with international agencies to curb the suspect’s ability to fund and direct local gang operations from European soil.
