3 suspects arrested in Ayodhya, Ajit Kumar Sharma, Pradeep Puniya, and Shankar Dussad, also known as Shankar Jajod, are Rajasthani natives, according to the authorities.

Three suspects were seized in Ayodhya on Thursday, three days before the “Pran Pratishtha” ceremony. Senior police authorities in this city claimed on Friday that the ATS had found Khalistan connections among them.

The officer stated that once a voicemail left by Khalistan authorities reached several Lucknow residents’ cell phones, suspicions regarding the three grew. The message that was recorded had a male voice. In the message, a man claiming to be the terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual citizen of the US and Canada, addressed Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. He said that the UP CM would be held accountable on January 22 by Sikh for Justice (SFJ), a US-based organization that supports Punjab’s secession from India and that the consecration of the Ram Temple would not save him.

According to the insider, the recorded conversation also disclosed the apprehension of two Ayodhya-based SFJ members.

Director General (DG) of UP Police Prashant Kumar stated that Ajit Kumar Sharma, Pradeep Puniya, and Shankar Dussad, popularly known as Shankar Jajod, are natives of Rajasthan. He said that Shankar Dussad and Pradeep Puniya lived in the Sikar district, while Ajit Kumar Sharma lived in the Jhunjhunu district.

He also mentioned that Dussad was in contact with Pannun through Lakhbir Singh Sandhu, a.k.a. Landa, another arms smuggler based in Canada. He said that Dussad had received orders from the Khalistan government to go to Ayodhya and map the place. He claims that on Thursday, during the car’s inspection in front of the Trimurti Hotel in Ayodhya, Dussad and his two accomplices were captured.

Kumar stated that Dussad revealed he had recruited two of his buddies to help him conduct reconnaissance in Ayodhya and make a map. The policemen went on to say that Dussad had put the saffron flag on the SUV to keep the police from suspecting them and that the three were still being questioned.

The ATS investigators reported that they had discovered two separate identity documents on Dussad. An ATS official claimed that Dussad was using a SIM card under the name Dharamveer Mahala and that his SUV’s registration papers were phony.

In a news release, ATS officials provided additional information, stating that Dussad was freed on bail from Central Jail, Bikaner, on May 15, 2023, following his incarceration for more than seven years, beginning on March 21, 2016.

During his stay in Bikaner Jail, they claimed, Dussad made connections with Khalistani organizations. He met Lakhbinder Singh, a prisoner, who asked him to meet his nephew Pumma. Through Pumma, he was able to get in contact with Sukhdool Singh Gill, also known as Sukha Duneke, a prominent Khalistani figure based in Canada. Sukha Duneke was shot and killed in September 2023 by unidentified assailants. He claimed that Dussad was using WhatsApp to communicate with Landa and Duneke.

According to ATS officers, Dussad was a close associate of the late, well-known mobster Rajendra Jaat, who was assassinated in December 2022 in front of his Sikar, Rajasthan, home by five gunmen. Dussad then assumed leadership of Jaat’s group. According to them, Dussad had a lengthy criminal history, with about seven complaints against him having been filed in several Rajasthani regions between 2007 and 2014. In 2011, Ram Krishna Sihag, the chief of the Congress youth wing, was killed, and in 2014, Balveer Banuda, a prisoner in Bikaner Jail, was also killed.

In the meantime, ahead of the massive ceremony on January 22, the police in Ayodhya have increased vehicle checks and watch throughout the town to prevent any unfortunate incidents.

Additionally, directives to increase monitoring have been issued statewide following the widespread success of English-language recorded voice messages on social media.

SOURCE: https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/3-arrested-suspects-in-ayodhya-have-khalistan-links-says-up-ats-101705692268645.html