Srinagar grenade attack case solved, 2 accused arrested, 2-wheeler seized: Police

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir police Tuesday claimed to have busted the module behind the recent Srinagar grenade attack by arresting two youth from Khanyar area of the city while a two-wheeler used in the incident has also been seized.
Addressing a press conference here, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Srinagar Rakesh Balwal said that two youth from Khanyar area of Srinagar who had used two-wheeler without number plate. “Two youth who lobbed grenade at security forces at Amira Kadal were identified as Muhammad Bariq of Koolipora, Khanyar and Fazil Nabi Sofi also from Koolipora, Khanyar,” the SSP said.
He said that both the accused had lobbed grenade on the directions of active militants, who are being tracked down. “We have also seized the two wheeler used by the duo,” he said. Replying to a query whether militancy had increased in Srinagar, he said that the city was safe and police was alert to foil such incidents in future.
In the grenade explosion on March 6, 38 civilians sustained injuries of which an elderly man Muhammad Aslam Makdhoomi, 79, and Rafiya, 19 succumbed later. Among the injured were two police man including an SPO.
Speaking on the occasion, SP South (City) Lakshay Sharma who was heading the SIT said that they employed modern means of investigation and based on the technical evidence like frame by frame analysis of the CCTV footages of the scene of the crime, footages of CCTVs of the entire city, tower dump analysis etc. “Based on these evidence, SIT was able to identify the accused who had used a two wheeler without a number plate to commit the act of violence. They used the same vehicle to flee from the spot,” Sharma said. He said that during the intense analysis of the CCTV trail in Srinagar, the route adopted by both the accused was located back to a neighborhood in Khanyar area of Srinagar. “Both accused have been arrested and it has come to fore that they lobbed the grenade in the direction of an active militant,” he said.
He said that 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. “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,” the SP South (city) said. He said that there have been two other recent grenade attacks in the same area on August 10, 2021 and on January 25, this year. “Further investigation is underway and is in full swing in this case,” he said. Meanwhile, SP South (city) and SSP Srinagar urged all the shopkeepers of Srinagar to install CCTVs in and outside their shops to prevent such incidents in future.