RAMSINGHPUR RAILWAY TRACK BLAST: GURDASPUR NATIVE MAHAKDEEP KAUR AND DAVINDER SINGH ARRESTED

Raj Sadosh/Abohar.

A suspicious explosion that occurred near Chak 48 GB village on the Anupgarh-Suratgarh railway line in Sriganganagar district on the night of November 3, at approximately 9:45 PM, has been solved.

The Rajasthan ATS and Sriganganagar Police, in coordination with the Punjab Police, have arrested the prime suspect, Mahakdeep Kaur (21) of Dostpur, and her accomplice, Davinder Singh (23), of Kalanaur in Gurdaspur district. The two were in a live-in relationship.

Police investigations revealed that a Pakistani intelligence agency had conspired to target a passenger train. A timer-based IED had been planted on the railway track; however, a miscalculation in the timer’s setting averted a major tragedy involving loss of life and property. The Anupgarh-Suratgarh passenger train had passed the location approximately 45 minutes before the blast occurred.

Additional Director General of Police (ATS/AGTF/ANTF) Dinesh M.N., Inspector General of Police (Bikaner Range) Om Prakash, Sriganganagar Superintendent of Police Hari Shankar Yadav, Inspector General (Police Vigilance) Rajesh Singh, and ASP (City) — a trainee IPS officer, Nitin Chaudhary — on Sunday provided detailed information regarding the case.

Both accused were sent to police custody. Two foreign-made pistols, 46 cartridges, and a significant amount of cash were recovered from their possession.

The investigation revealed that Mehakdeep Kaur had wed Karanveer Singh in 2024, but her husband was subsequently incarcerated in a Punjab jail in connection with a case involving the NDPS Act. During a prison visit, Karanveer Singh instructed Mehakdeep to get in touch with “Lovely,” a Pakistan resident. Over time, the conversations between Mehakdeep and Lovely took a romantic turn. Lovely connected her with individuals in Pakistan known as “Shah” and “Chacha.” The investigation has also uncovered the name of another Pakistani national.

Pakistani agents tasked Mehakdeep Kaur with targeting a passenger train by planting an IED on the railway tracks, offering her payment in return. Mahakdeep roped in her former school classmate, Davinder Singh, to assist. The pair received a total of 100,000 rupees in cash through contacts within India. Of this, 30,000 rupees were transferred to Davinder Singh’s account in two instalments, while a portion was sent to the account of a woman named Muskan, who is believed to be an associate of the accused.

Police said that the Pakistani handlers initially sent the two accused to the Srivijayanagar area empty-handed. Subsequently, IED packets and explosives were provided to them at various locations. The duo conducted reconnaissance while staying at different hotels in Srivijayanagar for a day or two. They arrived for the first time on October 6 but failed to find the materials at the designated location.

They returned on October 12–13, at which point they successfully retrieved the explosives and a timer-equipped bomb. They attempted to plant the device on the tracks but were unsuccessful; one of the timers even broke during the process. They returned a third time on November 3 and carried out the blast at approximately 9:45 PM. The Pakistani handlers had provided training on how to set the IED timer and execute the blast via video calls.

SP Hari Shankar Yadav said that approximately 500,000 phone calls were examined using tower dump records. IGP Om Prakash noted that, to date, around 400 individuals have been questioned, and 200 pieces of CCTV footage have been analysed.