SIT to probe recovery of explosives from Ambala

The SIT, comprising a deputy superintendent of police, Crime Investigation Agency-1, station head officer Baldev Nagar and cyber cell officers, will probe recovery of explosives from Ambala

Strap: Alerts have been issued to army, air force and GRP

An SIT has been constituted to probe recovery of explosives from a site, which was inspected by an NIA team, from Ambala (HT File)

Superintendent of police (SP) Jashandeep Singh Randhawa on Tuesday said a special investigation team (SIT), led by additional SP Pooja Dabla, will investigate the recovery of three live hand grenades and an improvised explosive device (IED) from Sadoupur village on Hisar-Chandigarh national highway (NH-152).

“The SIT will consist of a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), Crime Investigation Agency-1, station head officer (SHO) Baldev Nagar and cyber cell officers. With Ambala, being a sensitive zone, we have also issued an alert to the administration, army, air force, government railway police, railway protection force and Indian oil depot, along with the locals to be aware and not touch an unidentified object,” the SP told the media.

In his letter made available on Tuesday, Randhawa said the security arrangements needed to be upgraded in the wake of the recovery, adding that “the concerned units need to be alerted to maintain high vigil.”

Following the letter, deputy commissioner Vikram instructed district officials to make necessary security arrangements and inform the public to remain vigilant.

On Monday, a joint central team including National Investigation Agency (NIA) and National Security Guard (NSG) inspected the site. Senior police officials from Haryana and Punjab police also visited the site near the Haryana-Punjab border, police said.

The explosives were found by a labourer on Saturday evening and reported to the police on Sunday, after which a team of bomb disposal squad diffused the grenades in an abandoned area.

As per the FIR lodged under the Explosive Substances Act made available on Monday, the grenades were taped in plastic boxes separately and the IED was packed in an aluminium box with a hanging wire and a battery-like object.

“Just next to the spot, a polybag bearing ‘Shamme Di Hatti, Jalalabad’ and a small sack with ‘M/S Gopal Flour Gen. Mills, Samrala’ written on it, were found…” the FIR lodged on the complaint of Gurpreet Singh, the labourer who found the bombs, read.

On Monday, leftover explosives of the IED found in the aluminium box was “disposed-off” by an NSG team, Randhawa said.

He further added, “The teams examined the spot because of its inter-state linkages. We are also comparing the material with those found in similar cases, especially recently in Punjab to find the similarities.”

The materials found have also been sent to a laboratory to ascertain the type and origin of the explosives. Police said an examination of all the public and private institutions in the nearby area was underway.