Abid Bashir
Srinagar (NVI): A major 2019-like terror attack was averted by security forces in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir today after they detected a car with around 5 kilograms of IED (Improvised Explosive Device) in Rajpora area, police officials said.
The Santro car with a fake number plate was traced by a joint team of Police, Army and the CRPF in the wee hours today, they said.
“The IED was fixed on the rear side of the vehicle bearing fake number—JK08B 1426. Security forces personnel had to break the rear side windscreen of the vehicle to check the nature of the explosives. Bomb Disposal Squad of the forces was called and it was found that there was an IED weighing above 5 kgs,” a police official told NVI, requesting anonymity.
He said that the IED was successfully detonated in a controlled manner by the BDS.
Inspector General of Police, Kashmir range, Vijay Kumar said that a major mishap has been averted due to the timely input and action by Pulwama police, Army and the CRPF.
Eye-witnesses said that while destroying the IED, a residential house suffered partial damage as its window panes collapsed and a few walls developed cracks.
“A huge explosion was heard when forces detonated the IED. The vehicle also got completely damaged during the process,” he added.
Police sources said that the explosives were very powerful in nature and it seemed that militants had a plan to attack the security forces in a similar way they did on February 14, 2019, at Lethpora, Pulwama in which at least 40 CRPF men were killed. “Primary investigation reveals that the number mentioned on the number plate is of a two-wheeler belonging to a person from Kathua district of Jammu region,” sources said.
Security forces immediately sealed off the area and a massive manhunt has been launched to nab the militants involved in planting the IED in the vehicle with the aim of targeting security forces in Pulwama district.
