Investigating team gropes in the dark

Manish Sirhindi

Tribune News Service

Ambala, July 28

A special team of the Government Railway Police (GRP), dispatched to Kochi (Kerala) to dig out details as to how nine mortar bombs recovered from near Dhola Majra railway station in Kurukshetra district a few days ago disappeared during transit, is still groping in the dark as the inquiries have not revealed much.

The team was sent to Kochi on July 24 as it was being believed that the mortar bombs were a part of a “special package” that had gone missing from Aluva railway station in Kochi in August 2012 that the Naval Armament Depot (NAD), Kochi, had sent to Central Proof Establishment, Itarsi, (Madhya Pradesh) for “proof testing”.

Paramjit Singh, IG (railways), said the team was yet to return and only after that a statement could be issued. As it was a three-year-old matter, the investigators were finding it hard to dig out the facts, he said. “Many who could have been questioned with regard to the disappearance of bombs from the Aluva railway station and NAD had since been transferred, delaying the investigation.”

The IG, however, appeared confident the investigating team would be able to bring out the truth. The team has been looking into details as to how bombs of this grade got misplaced during transit and where these were kept for three years before being recovered from Dhola Majra.

The team is also making inquiries whether or not a proper procedure was followed while transporting the bombs to Itarsi from Kochi. It is also unclear if these had been brought here to be used in the Dinanagar terrorist attack yesterday, the IG said.

Meanwhile, it was learnt that a team of senior naval officers reached Ambala and met GRP officials to ascertain the facts. The team inspected the bombs that were recovered and now in the possession of the GRP. The team exchanged related information with local officials that could help in the investigation.