A 21-year-old woman and her 23-year-old male accomplice from Punjab’s Gurdaspur district have been arrested in connection with the November 3 railway track explosion in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, with investigators revealing on Sunday, November 15, 2026, that the duo acted on instructions from Pakistan-based handlers linked to the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and had made two failed attempts prior to the blast.
The arrests were carried out on Saturday in a coordinated operation involving the Rajasthan Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), Sri Ganganagar Police, and Punjab Counter Intelligence, yielding two foreign-made pistols, 46 live cartridges, and ₹30,000 allegedly paid to execute the sabotage.
Three Attempts & Suspected Pak Handlers ‘Shah’ and ‘Chacha’
Addressing the investigation, Rajasthan ATS Additional Director General of Police Dinesh MN stated that the prime female suspect—a resident of Dostpur village in Gurdaspur whose estranged husband is lodged in a Punjab jail in a drug trafficking case—had been communicating with Pakistan-based handlers via WhatsApp for nearly 15 months:
-
- Timeline of Sabotage Attempts: Police said the duo initially planned to target tracks in the Ramsinghpur area on October 6, which was aborted due to a lack of explosives. On October 12 or 13, they allegedly planted a timer bomb supplied by handler “Shah,” which failed to detonate due to a technical glitch. Their third attempt on November 3 around 9:45 pm damaged two concrete sleepers and left a two-foot crater near 50 GB village on the Anupgarh–Suratgarh railway line, barely 45 minutes after a passenger train had passed through.
- Why a Woman Was Chosen: Investigators believe handlers linked to Shah and another operative known as “Chacha” selected the woman because her presence near a border-area railway track was far less likely to arouse security suspicion. Three additional suspects have also been detained for providing logistical support, including shelter and a motorcycle.
”The woman was in contact with Pakistani handler Shah and carried out the blast with the assistance of her accomplice. They were acting on instructions from Shah and another person known as Chacha in Pakistan, who is suspected to be associated with the ISI.”
— Dinesh MN, ADGP, Rajasthan Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS)
ATS Flags Emerging ‘Romance & Financial Vulnerability’ Modus Operandi
Dinesh MN noted that the case mirrors an earlier arrest of a woman named Babita from Gangapur City, pointing to a broader suspected pattern in which Pakistani agents use romantic overtures and financial inducements to recruit women into cross-border terror and sabotage networks. Authorities are now tracing money trails and probing whether the blast has any link to a separate October 12 seizure of 7.75 kg of explosives near Rawla Mandi along the international border.
