Jammu Tawi | May 28: Security forces in Kashmir on Thursday morning foiled a major bid of a bomb attack, as they preemptive attempt to install an IED in a car, with 45 Kg of explosives, in Pulwama District of Kashmir.
In a presser, Jammu and Kashmir Police said they suspect that the Pulwama car bomb attack attempt was a joint operation of terrorist outfits Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizbul Mujahideen. Police added that security forces were the target of terrorists attempting a 2019 Pulwama-like attack.
The case, which has similarities with the 2019-Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed in suicide bombing, will be investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Here are the top 10 developments in the Pulwama car bomb case:
- Security forces averted a vehicle-borne IED blast after they intercepted a car fitted with explosives in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday.
- In a joint operation by the Indian Army, CRPF and Jammu and Kashmir Police, a white car was intercepted on late Wednesday night following an intelligence input, police said. The white coloured car was flagged by security forces at a vehicle check point but the driver turned the car away and fled.
- After intercepting the car again, security forces fired warning shots, but the driver abandoned the vehicle and escaped after an initial gunfight. “At another naka, the forces again fired some warning shots and the militant fled from the spot, taking advantage of darkness, and left the car behind. The forces used lights to check the vehicle from a distance after finding something suspicious. We tightened the cordon and waited for the first light of the day,” police said.
- The car was kept under watch for the night and people living nearby were evacuated. On Thursday morning, security forces called in the bomb disposal squad. “This morning, a bomb disposal squad reached the spot and saw the vehicle was laden with explosives,” the officer said.
- On inspection, the joint team found explosives in a blue drum in the car, which had a fake number plate. The car was later exploded in-situ by bomb disposal squads as moving the vehicle would have involved serious threat to life, the police said.
- Giving details, Inspector General of Police of Kashmir Zone, Vijay Kumar said police in Pulwama had received a tip-off that a Jaish terrorist, with the assistance of Hizbul, was planning to carry out a big operation in Kashmir. “The police were receiving inputs since a week that HM and JeM militants were planning to launch a big suicidal strike against security forces using car bomb. When the input matured on Wednesday, we developed it and nakas were placed in Pulwama by the security forces,” the police official said.
- The IGP identified the driver as Adil, a Hizb-ul terrorist. Adil managed to escape after the car was intercepted by the security forces. IG, Kashmir Zone, Vijay Kumar added that Adil was working with the Jaish for the operation.
- Security forces were the target of the operation, the Jammu and Kashmir Police officer said. He added that they suspect that the vehicle was carrying around 40-45 kg of explosives. The IGP said the police had inputs that JeM was planning to launch such an attack on the anniversary of Jang-e-Badr day the 17th day of Muslim fasting month of Ramadhan — but could not undertake it then because the forces had taken pre-emptive measures.
- Intelligence sources told Aaj Tak that Jaish-e-Mohammad's terrorist Waleed Bhai, an expert in making IEDs, is suspected to behind the latest conspiracy in Pulwama. Waleed had escaped during an encounter in Kulgam a few months back.
- With suspicion on Pakistan-backed terrorists and the case bearing similarities to that of the suicide attack in Pulwama in 2019, the probe of the Thursday incident has been handed over to the NIA. The NIA will visit the site after major terror attack was averted by security forces in Kashmir.
