Amritsar, Oct. 26 -- Punjab Police have apprehended an operative of a terror network and recovered two Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) along with arms and ammunition, Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said on Saturday. The IEDs, weighing around 2.5 kg each, were packed with high-grade RDX and equipped with timers for detonation, he added. The arrested accused has been identified as Manpreet Singh, alias Tiddi, a resident of Kotla Tarkhana village in Amritsar. According to police, he has a criminal background, having been previously involved in two cases registered at Sadar Batala and Kalanaur police stations. After spending approximately one and a half years in Gurdaspur and Amritsar jails, he was released in February 2025, following which he resumed criminal activities. According to DGP Yadav, preliminary investigations indicate that Manpreet was acting on instructions from handlers based in Armenia, the United Kingdom and Germany, who in turn were taking directions from a Pakistan-based mastermind of a banned terrorist organisation. Investigations are ongoing to map both forward and backward linkages in order to dismantle the entire network, the DGP said. Sharing operational details, Sukhminder Singh Mann, assistant inspector general of State Special Operation Cell (SSOC), Amritsar, said that acting on intelligence input, the team arrested Manpreet Singh and recovered a .30-bore pistol with ammunition from his possession. Following his disclosure, two IEDs, packed in metal containers with high-grade RDX and timers, were recovered from the vicinity of Kotla Tarkhana village. The probe revealed that around two weeks ago, the consignment had been dropped via drone in Ajnala Sector, retrieved by the accused, and concealed near a canal close to his village. The accused was reportedly instructed to remain on standby and await further orders to hand over the IEDs to another contact for intended use. An FIR has been registered at police station SSOC, Amritsar, under Sections 25 of the Arms Act, Sections 3, 4, and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act, and Sections 111 and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)....