After 72 hours of sustained diplomacy the Modi government persuaded Germany to arrest the Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) radical Jaswinder Singh Multani, who was planning a terror strike in Mumbai.
The Hindustan Times is reporting that the tipping point came when Modi government made it plain to the German authorities that they would be held responsible if there was a bomb blast in Mumbai or Delhi.
Why was Multani’s arrest critical?
According to the daily, Multani had managed to send explosives to Mumbai and was engaged in assembling a hit squad for the strike.
Germany responded positively after Indian authorities shared actionable intelligence with the German embassy in New Delhi. In parallel Indian officials contacted authorities in Germany.
To sensitise the Germans further about the nefarious plot and the urgency to act, the Ministry of External affairs activated Indian diplomats in Berlin who shared details with the German police about the threat of an imminent terror strike in Mumbai—not an easy task in view of the on-going Christmas holidays.
The uncovering of the terror plot began after Indian security agencies discovered Multani’s hand in smuggling weapons and explosives, including hand grenades and pistols, across the Indo-Pak border. The SFJ radical used his network of Pakistan based operatives and arms smugglers, with the intent to stage terror strikes in Punjab.
The district of Tarn Taran was Multani’s base to spread terror in Punjab. But the plot began to unravel after
On February 7 Punjab police made the first arrests. Four radicalised members of local criminal module were nabbed in Tarn Taran, Amritsar and Ferozepur districts. Eight country-made pistols along with 8 magazines and 7 cartridges were recovered during the swoop.
The weapons had been routed from Sikligar Sikhs and others operating from Madhya Pradesh. In a follow up, Punjab police arrested Jeevan Singh of Mansa , another criminal, who, Multani had radicalised, using social media.
Six months later Multani brain-washed Saroop Singh from Johal.
Dhaiwala of Tarn Taran district. Multani contacted Singh using a fake Facebook account describing himself as the man from “Surrey,” and money was sent through Western Union. In addition, two hand grenades (86P) were sent at Amritsar-Harike Road (Tarn Taran). Singh was also sent a picture of the location to collect them.
Multani’s arrest by the Germans is bound to further cement New Delhi-Berlin ties. It also expected to persuade Canada and the United Kingdom—two countries with radical Sikh separatist population to respond with force and urgency as part of an international counter-terror drive.
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