Grenades, body found on terror suspects’ tip

The Delhi Police on Saturday stepped up security arrangements ahead of Republic Day celebrations after two hand grenades and a man’s dismembered body were recovered following the interrogation of two terror suspects who, investigators said, may have been planning to carry out an attack in the national Capital

The Delhi Police on Saturday stepped up security arrangements ahead of Republic Day celebrations after two hand grenades and a man’s dismembered body were recovered following the interrogation of two terror suspects who, investigators said, may have been planning to carry out an attack in the national Capital.

Police officers seen near the Bhalswa drain where a dismembered body of a man was found on Saturday. (PTI)

The alleged conspiracy of a terror strike was uncovered after the two men – Naushad (who goes by only one name) and Jagjit Singh, alias Jagga, aka Yakub – were arrested on Thursday following intelligence inputs, according to the police. The two men led the police to their rented accommodation in north-west Delhi on Friday, with a team recovering two grenades and “traces of blood” from the house.

On Saturday, the police recovered a man’s body that was chopped up into four-five pieces and disposed of in different areas near the Bhalswa Dairy, a senior police officer familiar with the matter said, asking not to be named.

The developments came after the arrest of 56-year-old Naushad, an alleged terror suspect associated with the outfit “Harkat-ul-Ansar”, and suspected gangster Jagjit Singh alias Jagga aka Yakub, 29, belonging to Punjab-based Devinder Bambiha gang. Three pistols and 22 cartridges were also recovered from the men, who have been booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Arms Act. The Delhi Police’s special cell has registered an FIR in the case.

The special cell has also decided to file a separate case of murder, criminal conspiracy and destruction of evidence.

While the identity of the dead man was still being established, the arrested suspects claimed that they “killed a homeless man”, chopped up his body and disposed of the parts, including in a drain in Bhalswa Dairy, to evade detection, a senior police officer from the anti-terror squad said.

“We are not completely relying on their versions and suspect that they may have killed someone on the instructions of their handlers based in Pakistan and in the state of Punjab. There are reasons to believe that the two may have recorded a video of the killing or streamed it live for their handlers. One thing is clear that the two were assigned targeted killings and were told to a carry out a terror strike in the city. We are interrogating the two to get more clarity on their mission,” the officer said, asking not to be named.

On Thursday, the Delhi Police said they arrested Naushad and Jagga, a member of the Bambiha gang that is active in Punjab and is a rival to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s outfit. Their interrogation revealed that they were living in a rented room in Shradha Nand Colony that comes under the territorial jurisdiction of the Bhalswa Dairy police station.

Jagga is a resident of Uddham Singh Nagar in Uttarakhand, while Naushad is from Delhi’s Jahangirpuri.

“The arrested accused were produced in a Delhi court on Friday and their 14-day police remand was obtained. During the investigation, both the accused led the police team to their rented accommodation at Shradha Nand Colony under Bhalswa Dairy police station. Two hand grenades were recovered from the room. Traces of human blood have also been found by the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team,” said Delhi police spokesperson Suman Nalwa.

The police said they launched an investigation to ascertain whose blood was in the house. The two initially claimed that they had no idea about the blood in their room. However, when interrogated further, they confessed to killing a homeless man. They disclosed that they had chopped up the body and dumped the body parts, including the head, in the Bhalswa drain and other nearby muddy areas.

“We took them to the areas and recovered some body parts, including legs and torso, from the drain and muddy areas. The head is still missing. Further search is on,” another special cell officer said, asking not to be named.

Local residents of Shradha Nand Colony said the two had shifted to the rented room around Diwali last year. “The two seldom visited the room. Some weeks ago, they had brought a refrigerator to the room and took it back just a few days later. We suspect that the two may have stored the chopped body parts in the fridge,” said a local, who did not want to be identified.

“Today, during investigation of case registered with respect to the arrest of accused Jagjit and Naushad, the special cell team has recovered dismembered body parts and clothes from the wetlands of Bhalaswa Dairy, Delhi. A case FIR in relevant sections is being lodged in this regard,” Nalwa said.

The police, however, said the use of a refrigerator by the suspects has not emerged during their probe.

The recovery of hand grenades, arms, and ammunition, and decomposed parts of a human body in Delhi at the instance of the two suspects less than a fortnight before the Republic Day celebrations has prompted the city police to suspect a possible terror strike plan. They are also looking into a possible “deep-rooted conspiracy” by terror outfits that have the support of the neighbouring country, another officer said.

“In the last one year or so, there have been many instances that confirmed that the intelligence agency of a neighbouring country and leaders of terror outfits operating from there have influenced gangsters in Punjab to involve themselves in anti-India activities. The arrests of Naushad, who has links with a terror outfit, and Jagga belonging to a criminal gang in Punjab, together give reasons to believe that terror outfits and gangsters are conspiring together against our nation,” the officer said, asking not to be named.

Keeping in view possible terror strike inputs that central intelligence agencies receive ahead of key national events such as the Independence Day and Republic Day, a high alert is sounded across the city and maximum mobilisation of security personnel is made on the streets to keep a vigil and avert nefarious designs, officials said.

According to the police, Naushad has been a life convict in two cases of murder. He has also undergone 10 years’ sentence in a case of Explosives Act. Jagga, on the other hand, the police said, has been getting instructions from anti-national elements based abroad. He is a parole jumper in a case of murder in Uttarakhand, the police said.

The police are suspecting that Jagga may be associated with Canada-based gangster and Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) operative Arshadeep Singh Gill aka Arsh Dalla, who was declared a designated terrorist by the Union home ministry on Monday.