Sector-10 hand grenade blast: NIA gets 3-day custody of accused as probe deepens

The NIA stated that some vital new facts have come to light for which the accused are required to be examined and their walking pattern is required to be compared with CCTV footage.

Further investigation into last year’s Sector 10 hand grenade blast case has uncovered new facts, leading the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to procure a three-day custody of the accused on Friday. The NIA will probe these emerging leads.

As per police, the attack was targeted at retired superintendent of police Jaskirat Singh Chahal, who was the station house officer (SHO) in Nakodar in 1986, when four Sikh protesters were killed in police firing. (HT File)

The NIA stated that some vital new facts have come to light for which the accused are required to be examined and their walking pattern is required to be compared with CCTV footage.

The NIA court of special judge Alka Malik remanded the two accused - Rohan Masih and Vishal Masih- to three days in police custody. The investigating agency produced the accused on production warrants in court on Friday.

While allowing the application moved by the agency, the court stated that there is merit in the application for police remand, therefore, the same is allowed. “Both the accused namely Rohan Masih and Vishal Masih, alias Shalu, are remanded to police custody till February 3, 2025,” the court remarked.

The prosecution told the court that the accused, who were arrested on September 25, 2024, were granted police custody of nine days at that time, so the period now left was 21 days out of the total 30 days as per Section 43-D of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

The prosecution stated that the mobile phone seized from the accused at the time of their arrest was sent to Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) Chandigarh for extraction of data. The data extraction report was received on January 15 and has been analysed. During further investigation, various new vital facts have come to the light with regard to the role and involvement of accused. Moreover, from analysis of extracted data of the accused, various incriminating chats, videos, photos and foreign numbers were found saved in mobile phones or WhatsApp contact list including other implicating material. Same is required to be explained by the accused. Apart from this, the walking pattern of accused persons is required to be compared with the CCTV footages taken in possession from Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC), the prosecution stated.

“From the request of police remand and the investigation carried out till date, this court has reasons to believe that certain new facts have emerged during investigation and the accused are required to be interrogated on these aspects. Therefore, their custodial interrogation is needed in the matter. As per Section 43-D of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, the detention of the accused can be provided even after the expiry of 90 days, which is extendable up to 180 days. This request of prosecution is within 180 days and thus is within statutory period,” the court held.

On September 11, 2024 a hand grenade was lobbed at a house in Sector 10-D. Subsequently, the case was transferred to the NIA.

Police had claimed that the grenade attack was carried out at the behest of Harpreet Singh, alias Happy Passia, a gangster-turned-terrorist currently based in the US, and Pakistan-based terrorist Harwinder Singh Rinda.

As per police, the attack was targeted at retired superintendent of police Jaskirat Singh Chahal, who was the station house officer (SHO) in Nakodar in 1986, when four Sikh protesters were killed in police firing. Until two years ago before the September attack, Chahal had been living on rent on the first floor of the Sector 10 house.