4 min readLudhianaUpdated: Apr 2, 2026 05:02 PM IST
Nearly a week after the Punjab Police and Jammu and Kashmir Police jointly picked up two men from Sherwani Kot village in Punjab’s Malerkotla district, uncertainty continues to surround the operation, with officials maintaining silence on the details, citing security concerns.
The two men, identified as Abbu Gaba and Usman, were taken into custody on March 28, according to highly placed Punjab Police sources. While the Punjab Police has yet to issue an official statement, sources said the men were militants from Pakistan.
“Due to security reasons, more information cannot be revealed on this. Moreover, it was an operation of J&K Police,” a Punjab Police source told The Indian Express, confirming the arrests.
Sherwani Kot, located about 4.5 km from Malerkotla city, has a population of around 2,000 people as per the 2011 Census and currently has nearly 1,700 voters. Villagers said more than half of the population is Muslim, with many residing in a clustered settlement locally referred to as the “basti”—the same area from where the two men were picked up.
Residents claimed that the two men had been staying on rent in the basti for more than 15 years and maintained a low profile. Some alleged that they were “good at technology” and spent most of their time indoors.
“We got to know about their arrest on Sunday…kisse da ki pata lagda hai ki oh ki kamm karda hai (who really knows what a person is up to)? They never used to interact much with villagers and used to stay indoors or move out of the village sometimes. Who cares about each and every activity of people these days?” a villager said, requesting anonymity.
Sources said that the two men were not engaged in farming or any visible work in the village, and their reclusive lifestyle meant they drew little attention from locals.
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Village sarpanch Surinder Singh also expressed a lack of awareness about the duo. “I have no idea about these persons… they were living on rent in the basti…I hardly visit that area,” he said.
Detained for questioning in a drug case
According to sources, the men were initially detained by the Punjab Police in connection with an inquiry involving a local drug peddler. During questioning, their identities allegedly matched with individuals wanted by authorities in Jammu and Kashmir, after which the J&K Police took over the case.
Days after the duo was taken away, the police continued to visit the village. On Wednesday as well, a team of police officials came to the village and interacted with residents of the area where the two had been living, sources said.
The development comes amid a series of security-related actions in the region.
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In the second week of March, the Counter-Intelligence unit of Punjab Police arrested three residents of Malerkotla city—Farhan Anjum, Adnan Khan, and Waris Ali—on charges of radicalising youth. A 0.32 bore pistol, three cartridges, and four mobiles were recovered from them. Among the accused, Ali is already facing a case registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
In a separate operation on March 18, the Counter Intelligence unit allegedly foiled a terror plot and arrested Buta Singh alias Gurpreet Singh, a resident of Ferozepur, and Harmander Singh alias Nikka from Moga. Two hand grenades were recovered from their possession. The police said the explosives were part of a cross-border supply chain linked to Pakistan-backed elements, with the module suspected to be working to disrupt peace in the region.
In May last year, the Malerkotla police had arrested a 31-year-old woman and another person on charges related to cross-border espionage during Operation Sindoor.
