New Delhi: Two days after the gruesome suicide car bomb attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir Police and central security agencies have formed multiple teams that are working on “4-5” leads to probe the plot.
An Afghan war veteran and another unnamed individual have emerged as possible masterminds, sources in the security establishment said Saturday.
Security officials have detained around 13 people in multiple raids across several locations in south Kashmir, but the focus is on about 7 individuals who are known as ‘Over Ground Workers’ of Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).
The terror group has claimed responsibility for the worst attack on security forces in the state that killed 40 personnel.
The security establishment is trying to hunt an Afghan war veteran and IED expert, known to them as Kamran, said sources.
Kamran is believed to have infiltrated into India in December, and operates from Pulwama, Awantipora and Tral area of South Kashmir, the sources added.
They said that currently only two people in Kashmir are capable of masterminding this kind of an IED attack. While one is Kamran, the sources refused to identify the other saying efforts are on to nab him.
‘Loosely packed explosives’
ThePrint had reported on 3 January that the Afghan war veteran, who is an IED expert, had infiltrated into India on 9 December and was believed to be hiding in Pulwama.
He had entered Kashmir along with two other terrorists.
While the intelligence input at the time had identified him as Abdul Rasheed Ghazi, sources said information now suggests the Afghan war veteran is known locally as Kamran.
However, sources added that it’s quite a possibility that he is not the person who put the Pulwama IED together.
“The explosives used in the attack were loosely packed and this is a mistake that Kamran would not have done. While the exact quantity of explosives used is yet to be determined, it is easily around 100 kg if not more,” said one source in the security establishment.
“Had the explosives been packed properly, there would have been a bigger damage than just one bus,” added the source.
Also read: Jaish could use Pulwama attack to recruit more local Kashmiri youth, fear security forces
Initial findings
Even though the attack took the security establishment by surprise, sources said that they had just begun to sniff out the plot.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police last week shared a private Twitter account with other agencies in which the JeM had threatened to carry out a suicide attack on security forces, it is learnt.
The Twitter handle had posted a 33-second video of troops in Somalia being attacked by militants like in Pulwama.
Further, contrary to initial findings, police now believe that the vehicle used in the attack was a Maruti Eeco. However, they have not been able to find the chassis number or the number plate of the vehicle. The police is in the process of ascertaining the ownership of the car which can lead to more information.
Also read: Pulwama attack proves JeM chief Masood Azhar’s 2014 public address wasn’t a ‘one-time event’