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Suspected BKI terrorist trying to retrieve bomb killed in Amritsar blast
The suspect had buried the explosive at the site and had turned up around 9.15am to dig it out, but it exploded, blowing away his arms, police said.
A suspected Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terrorist was killed when an explosive he was trying to retrieve went off near Naushera village on the Amritsar-Majitha road on the outskirts of the city on Tuesday morning.
After visiting the blast site, deputy inspector general, border range, Satinder Singh said that both the arms of the suspected terrorist were blown away in the explosion and he died on the spot.
A forensic team and bomb disposal squad of Punjab Police reached the spot soon after and investigation is underway.
Police said the suspect had buried the explosive at the site and had turned up around 9.15am to dig it out, but it blew up in the process.
Amritsar Rural senior superintendent of police Maninder Singh said the man was retrieving the explosive when the blast occurred, possibly due to mishandling.
Rajbir Singh, who runs a hardware and paint shop near the blast site, said: “Such was the intensity that the explosion could be heard even a kilometre away.”
The DIG said the man was yet to be identified.
“According to circumstantial evidence, it is clear that this man was a member of some terrorist organisation,” he said, adding police had got vital clues from the man’s pocket that indicated his links with a terror outfit.
Experts are trying to ascertain whether it was an IED (improvised explosive device) blast or grenade explosion.
