Batala: Punjab Police on Monday said it had detained two juveniles allegedly involved in the grenade attack on the Urban Estate police chowki in Batala on Aug 1, while efforts were on to trace a third suspect.Deputy inspector general (border range) Harmanbir Singh Gill said investigations had revealed the involvement of three persons in the attack. Police were verifying whether the absconding suspect was a juvenile or an adult.Referring to the investigation, Gill said: “Three persons were involved in hurling the grenade. We have detained two juveniles, while efforts are on to arrest the third accused.”He added that several individuals often claimed responsibility for such incidents for publicity, but said anti-national elements were luring misguided youth with small amounts of money to carry out such acts. He appealed to youngsters not to be influenced by extremist propaganda or social media narratives.The arrests came as Batala police launched Operation Prahar 4.0, a special drive ahead of Independence Day to prevent any attempt to disturb peace.Commending the Batala police team led by SSP Mehtab Singh, Gill said the operation, which began at 4 am on Monday, would continue till Tuesday and could be extended if required. Around 20 gazetted officers and more than 1,000 police personnel, including reinforcements from the law and order wing, have been deployed to trace proclaimed offenders and those wanted in heinous crimes.Gill said the operation had so far led to the arrest of 102 persons, besides the recovery of two Glock pistols and narcotics in multiple raids.Police said Operation Prahar 4.0 was launched on the basis of intelligence inputs indicating the possibility of criminal or terror-related activities ahead of Independence Day.
