The Punjab Police on Tuesday said it has arrested two brothers for alleged involvement in the desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib and revealed they were getting instructions and funding from handlers in Australia and Dubai.
Additional Director General of Police I.P.S. Sahota told media here on Tuesday in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal that two brothers, Jaswinder Singh and Rupinder Singh, were arrested for the main case of sacrilege of the Sikh holy book at Bargari village in Faridkot district.
He said that phone calls of the brothers had been traced to people in Australia and Dubai and a special investigation team will probe this aspect.
"The Punjab Police have arrested two brothers, namely Rupinder Singh and Jaswinder Singh, after intercepting their mutual as well as Rupinder's foreign calls to Australia and Dubai.
"During the interrogation, the foreign link as well as funding had been established, while the other incidents (of sacrilege) happened in Kohrian (Sangrur), Nijjarpura (Amritsar), Ghawaddi (Ludhiana) and Bathh (Tarn Taran) were of localized nature," Sahota said.
"During interrogation of Rupinder Singh, it has been found that he has been talking with their masters abroad and discussed about delivery of cash to them in lieu of their acts of committing sacrilege of Sri Guru Granth Sahib," he said.
"Out of the seven reported cases of sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib, we have solved five cases," Sahota added.
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The sacrilege cases were reported from Faridkot, Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Bathinda districts.
Sukhbir Badal said those involved in the incidents will not be spared.
"We did not allow those people to accomplish their mission. Nothing is more condemnable. I appeal to all people to offer prayers. We will punish the guilty," he said.
"The Punjab government would unearth all conspiracies behind the ghastly desecration of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib at Bargari village in Faridkot which had led to widespread emotional outbursts across the state," he said.
Sahota also said that there was no link established between Bargari sacrilege incident and pardon of Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh by the Akal Takht.
He also shared the clips of conversation between Rupinder and his foreign masters and between both brothers this month.