Srinagar: Police on Tuesday arrested two youth for their alleged involvement in hurling a grenade at busy Amira Kadal marketplace here on Sunday that left two civilians dead and 36 others, including two policeman injured.
Mohd Bariq and Fazil Nabi, both residents of Koolipora locality of Khanyar were arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by SP South Lakshay Sharma, on the basis of technical evidences like minute frame by frame analysis of the CCTV footages of scene of crime, footages of CCTVs in the city, Cell tower dump analysis, IP dump analysis, recreation of crime scene and by examination of some eye witnesses, a police spokesperson said Tuesday.
On Sunday, he said, a hand grenade was thrown towards a security vehicle that exploded and injured 38 people, including two civilians and two policemen Reyaz Ahmed and Jan Mohd. Two of the injured civilians Mohd Aslam Makhdoomi and Rafiya Nazir succumbed to their injuries at the hospital.
Simultaneously, police filed a case FIR number 18/2022 under section 307 of IPC, sections 7/27 of Indian arms act, sections 16, 23 of Unlawful activities prevention Act was registered at Shaheed Gunj Police station, the spokesperson said.
He said Section 302 of IPC and sections 3,4 of explosive substances act were added to this case after the death of the two civilians.
Giving more details that led to the arrest of the two youth, the spokesperson said that due to the “heinous nature” of the case and due to the panic it created among the general public, SSP Srinagar Rakesh Balwal constituted a 7-member SIT headed by SP South to investigate the grenade attack.
“The SIT employed modern means of investigation and based on the technical evidences like minute frame by frame analysis of the CCTV footages of scene of crime, footages of CCTVs in the whole of Srinagar city, Cell Tower dump analysis, IP dump analysis, recreation of crime scene and by examination of some eye witnesses,” he said.
Based on these, the spokesperson said that SIT was able to identify two accused who came on a two wheeler without number-plate to commit this crime and fled on the same vehicle after committing the militant act.
During the intense analysis of the CCTV trail in Srinagar city, he said, the route adopted by both accused was located back to one neighbourhood in Khanyar.
He said the first accused Mohd Bariq was arrested from Khanyar and his initial examination led to the arrest of second accused Fazil Nabi. He said that the two wheeler used in this grenade attack was also seized by SIT.
The accused, as per the spokesperson had carried out the attack on the directions of active militants in Kashmir valley.
“The plan was to attack the parked security vehicle but due to grenade throwing from a moving two-wheeler, the target was missed and grenade exploded in an adjacent crowded area where many road-side vendors and buyers were busy in routine works,” he said.
Further, the spokesperson said that it was also found that this particular area was chosen due to the omnipresent chaos and turbulent traffic in this stretch of area due to unorganised vendors and stalls on the road.
He recalled two other grenade attacks in the area on January 25 and August 10 last year.
“Further investigation is underway and is in full swing in this case,” the spokesperson said, adding “This act of grenade throwing created terror, panic and anguish among the masses in whole of Srinagar city,”
The spokesperson also urged all commercial establishments and shops to install CCTV cameras inside and outside their establishments, as per advisory issued by DC Srinagar, they said.
“This will act as strong deterrence to all the anti-social elements, who think of committing such atrocious crimes,” he added.
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