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Time of India
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Man dies in Asr blast while ‘trying to retrieve explosive'
Amritsar/Chandigarh: A man was killed in a powerful explosion near Decent Avenue in Amritsar on between 9.30 am to 10.00 am on Tuesday, with police believing that the blast occurred when he tried to retrieve the explosive. Police suspect that the man, identified later in the day by a senior police officer as Nitin, in his twenties, son of an auto driver and hailing from Chheharta, was a "drug addict" and likely a "foot soldier" who had come to "retrieve the explosive on the directions of his handlers in a cut out module modus operandi where location of the explosive is shared with the foot soldier". While deputy inspector general (DIG) Border Range Satinder Singh described it as a "prima facie case of terrorism", another senior Punjab police officer privy with the investigations said "nothing conclusive could be said about his handlers as of now since he died" and "did not even have a mobile phone since his family is very poor". The officer said, "Even his father, who is an auto-rickshaw driver, has a basic phone. " The officer said, "Though he did not have any phone, but he must have used someone's phone for sure for getting in touch with handlers. In the absence of the phone he used to get in touch with his handlers, it may be painstaking investigation to ascertain that at the behest of which organisation he had come to retrieve the explosive." The officer added, "He could have been tasked by any Pakistan intelligence officer. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký It could be Harwinder Rinda group or the one which carried out grenade attack on [BJP] leader Manoranjan Kalia's house. We are working on it." Punjab police suspect that the explosive that caused the blast could have been "improvised explosive device or a pressure bomb", but would wait for the forensic report to say anything conclusive on that. "It may be an IED which might have gone off due to its trigger mechanism getting on while retrieving it. It is unlikely to be grenade as there has been no recovery of pin or safety lever from the spot," said the officer. The DIG said the police had uncovered a recurring modus operandi in such cases, where terror organisations hide explosives like grenades or Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) at abandoned places. "An operative is sent a picture of the location to retrieve the device and carry out planned attacks. In this case, a pole indicated where the explosive was hidden." The DIG said, "The circumstantial evidence suggests the deceased was tasked with retrieving the explosive, which accidentally detonated while he was handling it." Hinting that "items recovered from his pockets strongly link him to terrorist organisations," the DIG said a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team was analysing the explosive to determine whether it was an IED or a grenade. Confirming that "the man injured in the blast succumbed to injuries," the DIG said ongoing investigations point to the involvement of terror groups such as Babbar Khalsa International (BKI). Police suspect the man was attempting to retrieve an explosive device when it detonated between 9.30am and 10am near Decent Avenue. Unconfirmed reports have fuelled speculation that the man intended to target policemen, but the DIG declined to comment, citing the sensitivity of the investigation. "We have recovered several clues from his personal belongings, but I cannot reveal them at this stage," he said.
The Print
27-05-2025
- The Print
Punjab cops suspect Babbar Khalsa International link to Amritsar blast that killed 1
An explosion was heard by locals between 9.30 am and 10 am Tuesday morning in the area near Naushera village, which falls under Kambo police station of Amritsar rural district. The person was severely injured while recovering explosive material from an abandoned place near a pole, which triggered the blast, and later succumbed to the injuries in hospital, Border Range Deputy Inspector General Satinder Singh told reporters Tuesday. New Delhi: The individual killed in the blast in Amritsar's Majitha area is suspected to be linked to terror outfit Babbar Khalsa International, Punjab Police have found in the preliminary investigation. 'Prima facie, it appears that the person who got injured in the morning has died. Investigation into all the cases regarding blasts in the past had established that these suspects would keep the explosives or grenades in similar abandoned places. They would share pictures and instructions for retrieval,' the DIG told media persons at the spot. 'The explosive was kept near a pole here for a marker. It appears that the person was a terror suspect belonging to Babbar Khalsa International, and the explosive exploded in the hands of the suspect. The FSL (forensic science laboratory) report will confirm if it was a grenade or an IED (improvised explosive device), but a similar module of retrieval of explosives has come out in 100 percent of similar cases.' While the deceased individual is yet to be identified by Amritsar Rural Police, the DIG added that materials recovered from the pocket of the deceased individual, and other circumstantial evidence strongly indicated that the person belonged to the terror outfit. Amritsar Rural Senior Superintendent of Police Maninder Singh said that the police are in the process of registering an FIR under relevant sections of the Explosive Substances Act, while a detailed probe to establish identity of the deceased is currently underway. Banned as a terrorist outfit by the Ministry of Home Affairs, BKI is controlled by Pakistan-based terrorist Harvinder Singh Sandhu, alias Rinda. ThePrint had previously reported that modules of BKI, run by US-based gangster Harpreet Singh, alias Happy Passia, attacked several police installations and premises of influential individuals in border districts, starting November last year. These operatives passed on consignments to members of the module without any human contact with each other. Passia was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in April. Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav had said last week that another gangster based abroad, Manu Agwan, had assumed 'operational charge' of the BKI after Passia's arrest. (Edited by Mannat Chugh) Also Read: Amritsar hooch tragedy: 'Kingpin', 9 others arrested, Majitha DSP, SHO suspended for negligence
