At least nine people were killed and over 25 injured after a massive explosion tore through the Nowgam Police Station in Srinagar late Friday night.
The explosion took place when the authorities were extracting samples from a large cache of explosives recently seized in connection with the Faridabad terror module case, officials said on Saturday.
Eyewitnesses and CCTV clips from the area show the blast ripping through the building, sending flames and thick smoke into the air.
According to the sources, the casualties may rise as several of the injured are in a critical condition and some are still missing. Rescuers continue to search the rubble for those feared trapped. Investigators said body parts were found as far as 300 feet from the site, underlining the scale of the blast.
TWO POSSIBLE TRIGGERS: MISHANDLING OR TERROR ATTACK
Police sources said two angles are being investigated. One possibility is that the ammonium nitrate ignited during sealing in the presence of a magistrate. The second points to a terror strike.
According to officials, the explosion happened while policemen and forensic teams were handling the explosive material brought from Faridabad. Much of the 350 kg stock recovered from the terror module case had been stored inside the police station, where the primary FIR was registered.
Some of the recovered chemicals had been sent to the police forensic lab, but the larger share remained at the station. The bodies of the victims have been taken to the Police Control Room in Srinagar, PTI reported.
Another line of enquiry for investigators is whether the seized car found inside the compound had been rigged with an IED, potentially setting off the larger explosion. The PAFF, a shadow outfit linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed, has claimed responsibility, though officials say this is still being verified.
SECURITY TIGHTENED; SENIOR OFFICIALS VISIT VICTIMS
Security forces with sniffer dogs swept the compound as the area was sealed off. Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Akshay Labroo met the injured at a local hospital.
The 350 kg cache had originally been recovered from the rented home of Dr Muzzamil Shakeel Ganaie in Faridabad — one of eight people arrested so far, PTI reported.
J&K DGP Nalin Prabhat conducted a hybrid security review across the Union Territory on Friday evening as agencies tightened security following the Red Fort car blast earlier this week, which killed at least 13 people.
The Nowgam explosion has now pushed investigators to examine whether the two incidents point to a coordinated, larger plot.
TRAIL OF ARRESTS THAT UNCOVERED A TERROR MODULE
The probe began after threatening posters appeared in Nowgam in mid-October. CCTV analysis led to the arrest of three local residents, Arif Nisar Dar alias Sahil, Yasir-ul-Ashraf and Maqsood Ahmad Dar alias Shahid, all previously booked in stone-pelting cases, reported PTI.
Their questioning revealed the role of Maulvi Irfan Ahmad, a former paramedic-turned-preacher who is believed to have radicalised several doctors and supplied the posters.
This trail took investigators to Al-Falah University in Faridabad, where doctors Muzammil Ganaie and Shaheen Sayeed were arrested.
From rented rooms linked to the suspects, agencies recovered huge quantities of ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, sulphur and other materials, along with an additional 2,900 kg of chemicals tied to another doctor from Pulwama.
Hours later, a blast tore through a car halted at a red light on a crowded road near Delhi’s Red Fort, killing 13 people, injuring over 20 and damaging several nearby vehicles.
The following day, another name surfaced, Dr Umar Nabi. Senior officials disclosed that he was driving the Hyundai i20 in which the blast occurred. According to National Investigation Agency sources, the recovery of bomb-making chemicals may have alarmed the suspect and forced him to move locations.
Investigators believe the module was run by these three doctors, Muzammil Ganaie, Umar Nabi and Muzzaffar Rather, who remains absconding. Meanwhile, Adeel Rather, the eighth accused and brother of the absconding doctor, was arrested with an AK-56 rifle. His role is still being examined.
– Ends
With inputs from PTI
Tune In
