Moga Migrant Firing Case: Terror Plot Foiled, Two Live Hand Grenades Recovered

The police investigating the firing on migrant workers in Moga have claimed a significant breakthrough, recovering two live hand grenades from a location identified as the shooters’ base. This discovery has shifted the case from being treated as a local hate crime to a high-level national security threat, involving foreign handlers and smuggling of explosives via drones from across the border. Acting on a tip-off, police reached the site near Zira Road. Authorities stated that the seizure of military-grade explosives indicates the February 10 attack was only the first phase of a larger, more dangerous conspiracy aimed at inciting communal unrest. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Aje Gandhi said that the investigation is examining the possibility of drones being used to transport materials across the international border, a method recently observed in narco-terror activities in the Amritsar sector. With assistance from the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF), police established that the shooters were not acting alone. SSP Gandhi confirmed that the suspects were in direct contact with a foreign handler. “Their objective was not just to carry out the attack; it was a calculated attempt to disrupt Punjab’s cultural harmony and peace by using local youth,” SSP Gandhi said. Following the seizure, security has been intensified around rice shellers and factories, and patrolling has been increased in areas with a high concentration of migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Both shooters are in police custody, while authorities continue to identify a third individual who reportedly recorded and circulated the viral video of the shooting. Earlier, on February 15, two suspects allegedly involved in the attack on migrant workers were arrested following a police encounter near Ghallkalan village in Moga. The police recovered two pistols and the motorcycle used during the incident. This confrontation is directly linked to the February 10 firing, when 7-8 migrant workers were returning from a rice sheller on Zira Road to their rented accommodations. The shooters, riding a motorcycle, allegedly fired at the workers, injuring two of them. After the attack, the suspects reportedly posted a video on social media taking responsibility for the act, containing objectionable language and comments targeting migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.