Panic grips Sector 10 as explosive device lobbed in house
Panic gripped the Sector 10 area this evening when two persons, who came by an auto-rickshaw, hurled some explosive substance at a house. The auto driver, identified as Kuldeep, has been nabbed. Sources said there were two more persons in the vehicle.
The explosive substance that landed in the lawn caused a small pit. The explosion shattered windows. No one was injured. Explosion and the auto-rickshaw were captured on a CCTV camera installed in the area.
The house owner, KK Malhotra (100), a retired college principal from Himachal Pradesh, was sitting in the lawn reading a book just before the attack. Moments after he went inside, the suspects arrived there.
According to the sources, three suspects were involved in the attack. One of them hurled the explosive substance.
The authorities were immediately alerted around 5.30 pm, following which senior police officials, including IG Raj Kumar Singh, SSP Kanwardeep Kaur and SP (City) Mridul rushed to the spot.
“A loud noise occurred, possibly from a low-intensity pressure blast, causing damage to some windows and pots,” said the SSP.
Fire brigade and a team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were also dispatched to the scene. The bomb disposal squad and a forensic team quickly arrived there to inspect the scene.
The sources said retired Punjab police AIG Jaskirat Singh Chahal had previously rented the house but shifted after a plan to attack the house was exposed about two years ago. Two suspects were held while carrying out a recce.
The police suspect the same suspects are involved in the attack. The arrested suspect is being interrogated. The police are conducting raids to apprehend his accomplice.
Sources said the possibility of some terrorist’s hand behind the attack cannot be ruled out. Meanwhile, Punjab police officials, including those from the Anti Gangster Task Force (AGTF), also arrived at the scene to investigate the matter.
Multiple teams of the UT police from the Operations Cell and Crime Branch are investigating the case.
A case has been registered at the Sector 3 police station. Malhotra and his family reside on the ground floor, while tenants occupy the first floor.
Police sources suspect hand of Pak terrorists
Punjab Police sources said two individuals were apprehended about two years ago for allegedly plotting an attack on a retired Punjab police officer. “The suspects were conducting a recce when the officer stayed in the same house,” said the sources. They suspect that the same individuals, possibly backed by Pakistan-based terrorists, might be involved in the incident.
