Traveller nabbed with live ammunition in Hyderabad turns out to be Ajnala firing case accused

The Punjab police are expected to take Sukhdeep Singh into custody on Saturday (August 30, 2025) in connection with the Ajnala police station firing case of 2023. Singh was arrested at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) after live ammunition was recovered from his baggage. The accused is currently lodged in Chanchalguda Central jail while the RGIA police are preparing for his handover.

Speaking to The Hindu, Shamshabad DCP B. Rajesh said Singh had been identified as a wanted person in Punjab. “He is accused number 17 in the case. The Punjab police are on their way to Hyderabad to take Singh into custody with a PT warrant,” he said.

Pro-Khalistan leader Amritpal Singh’s supporters attack police in Punjab’s Ajnala

Singh, a 32-year-old from Bhawanigarh, Punjab, was detained on Thursday (August 28, 2025) while preparing to board a flight to Delhi en route Amritsar. Security personnel screening his luggage found eight live rounds, including four of 0.2 mm, two of 0.7 mm, one of 7.52 mm and one of 7.62 mm calibre. As he failed to produce a valid licence, the ammunition was seized and Singh was handed over to the RGI Airport Police. A case under Section 25(1B)(a) of the Arms Act, 1959, was registered.

During questioning, Singh claimed the bullets had been left over from a ‘2023 incident in Punjab’ and that he had been carrying them unknowingly. An official involved in the probe said Singh’s criminal record had been cross-checked with Punjab police authorities. “He has not confessed to his involvement in the Ajnala incident during questioning, but his name figures in the case records,” the official added.

On February 23, 2023, supporters of radical preacher Amritpal Singh stormed the Ajnala police station on the outskirts of the Amritsar city. They were demanding the release of Amritpal’s aide, Lovepreet Singh Toofan, who had been detained in a case.

Despite barricades set up by the police, hundreds of men armed with guns and swords forced their way inside after violent clashes, eventually securing Lovepreet’s release. The incident sparked outrage across Punjab and led to multiple cases being registered against those accused of participating in the assault.

Punjab police have since been pursuing those identified as part of the mob, and Singh’s arrest in Hyderabad has now revived their investigation into the case. A team from Punjab is expected to take custody of Singh once formalities are completed, before producing him in the court.