Man, 18, arrested for throwing grenade into home of Youtuber after being hired by gangster to carry out attack

Hardik Kamboj, aged 18, had hurled the explosive at the house of YouTuber Rozer Sandhu on Sunday (March 16). It did not explode, however, as he had forgotten to take the pin out. Pakistani gangster Shahzad Bhatti claimed responsibility for the attack in a TikTok video, alleging the influencer was abusing Islam.

The teen also opened fire on police when they went to arrest him on Monday (March 17) as he attempted to flee, but officers retaliated and he was shot in the leg. He was then arrested and taken to Jalandhar, a city in Punjab, India, for weapon recovery, according to local news.

Jalandhar Range Deputy Inspector General of Police, Naveen Singla, confirmed that the metal-like object thrown at Sandhu’s house was an Arges-type grenade, which was designed to spray shrapnel out within its blast radius of 30 metres and cause serious harm and damage, but it had failed to detonate. Police said the accused got panicked and failed to remove the pin from the grenade which is why it didn’t explode.

“Shahzad Bhatti is a self-styled ‘don’ of Pakistan and is an active operative of ISI, a Pakistan intelligence service. The ISI has orchestrated this attack. Bhatti arranged Hardik Kamboj through Mohammad Zeeshan Akhtar, a wanted criminal in [a] murder case,” Singla said.

He added that Kamboj, who confessed to throwing a grenade at Sandhu’s house, came in contact with Zeeshan through social media and was later introduced to Bhatti. Kamboj was given ₹25,000 (around £222) for throwing the grenade on Sandhu’s house, the police said.

Singla stated that a special investigation team has been brought together to arrest Kamboj’s accomplices, who provided him with key logistics and harboured him. “The investigation is at a very advanced stage as other members of this ISI-sponsored module will be arrested soon,” he said.

Police have registered a case against Kamboj, Akhtar, Bhatti and other unidentified individuals under Sections of 109 (murder) of the BNS, 3,4, 5 of the Explosives Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) at the local Maqsudan police station.

The 32-bore pistol with which Kamboj used to open fire at the police, along with six live rounds, were seized after the incident. As a result of the self-defence fire that the police used Kamboj ended up with a leg injury. He was immediately arrested but also given medical assistance and taken to a local hospital.