An improvised explosive device (IED) was recovered from under the SUV of a Punjab Police sub-inspector (SI) in the posh Ranjit Avenue area here on Tuesday.
A CCTV footage has also emerged in which two bike borne men with their faces covered were seen planting the explosive under the car, which was parked outside SI Dilbagh Singh’s house situated in the C-Block of the area.
Deputy commissioner of police (DCP-investigation) Mukhwinder Singh said a forensic team was busy to ascertain about the specification of the IED.
He said, “we are investigating to find why the explosive was planted under Dilbagh’s car. Our teams are also working to nab the accused.”
A case under the relevant Sections of the Explosives Act has been registered against some unidentified persons at the Ranjit Avenue police station.
IG Mohinish Chawla said, “A team of forensic experts has been called from Chandighar to ascertain the weight and specification of the IED.”
Dilbagh is posted at the crime investigation agency (CIA) wing of Amritsar. According to a senior police official, Dilbagh’s record, particularly at the time of terrorism in Punjab, is controversial.
“At around 12:30 pm on Tuesday, Dilbagh’s driver started cleaning his Mohindra Bolero car. Dilbgah was home in Ranjit Avenue due to ill health. The driver found a suspected box under the car while cleaning the vehicle and informed Dilbagh. The SI told the driver to keep aside the box citing it as a mischief. Later on, it was found that there was an IED in the box, following which the city police were informed,” said senior police official of Amritsar commissionerate, who didn’t wish to be named.
{{/usCountry}}“At around 12:30 pm on Tuesday, Dilbagh’s driver started cleaning his Mohindra Bolero car. Dilbgah was home in Ranjit Avenue due to ill health. The driver found a suspected box under the car while cleaning the vehicle and informed Dilbagh. The SI told the driver to keep aside the box citing it as a mischief. Later on, it was found that there was an IED in the box, following which the city police were informed,” said senior police official of Amritsar commissionerate, who didn’t wish to be named.
{{/usCountry}}The official said that the examination of the CCTV footage has found that there were two bike-borne men who had planted the IED under the car at around 11:30 pm on Monday.
Inspector General of police (IGP), border range-cum-commissioner of police (CP) Mohinish Chawla, deputy commissioner of police (DCP-investigation) Mukhwinder Singh and DCP-law and order Parminder Singh Bhandal among other senior police officials reached the spot soon after knowing about the incident and started investigation.
A bomb disposal team was also called on the spot. They tried to explode the IED, but it didn’t work, said the above quoted official.
“It seems the accused wanted to spread terror by using the explosive on the occasion of Independence Day, but it didn’t work. We suspect that the explosive was later on planted to create panic among the police force,” he said.