Experts working to find exact nature of explosives, car used

Tribune News Service

Lethpora (Pulwama), Feb 15

Investigators from multiple agencies are working hard to figure out the exact nature of the explosives used and the car used in the suicide bombing on Thursday that left 42 CRPF men dead.

Sleuths of the police and central agencies were on Friday looking for clues at Lethpora along the Srinagar-Jammu highway. Investigators met CRPF convoy members to know the exact sequence of events beforethe deadly attack.

A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) also visited the spot. The teamarrived in Srinagar on Friday afternoon and was straightaway driven to the crime scene at Lethpora.

“The NIA has started investigation and collected samples from the crime scene for forensic examination,” said a security forces officer. It would take up the case for investigation today or tomorrow after all documental formalities were completed.

The J&K Police will assist the NIA in the investigation to expose the module behind the attack, he said.

Meanwhile, security forces had restricted the movement of vehicles on the national highway at Lethpora. However, the traffic along the highway was allowed to move. The movement of traffic was quite less and the shops near the site of the blast were also shut.

Sources said while forensic experts were looking as to what material was used to trigger the explosion, the focus of the investigations was on the claim which was made by the Jaish-e-Mohammad soon after the blast.

“Initially, we suspected it an IED, but then Jaish claimed it was local fidayeen Adil Dar who rammed his vehicle into the convoy. At this time, we are not sure what explosives were used and which vehicle was laden with explosives,” they said. “In the past, militants were using RDX but they had of late discarded it and were using liquid explosives.”