Sector 10 blast: Suspects conducted recce in same auto 2 days before targeting house

The two suspects in the Sector 10 blast case, who are at large, had conducted a recce of the house two days before they lobbed an explosive device at the house from an auto yesterday. They had hired the same auto for carrying out the recce of the area.

According to police sources, on September 9, the suspects hired the auto from the ISBT, Sector 43, for Sector 10 and paid the driver Rs 250 for the trip. “The suspects carried out a recce and were dropped back at the ISBT,” a police official said.

Revenge motive behind attack, claim police

• The police believe the motive behind the attack is revenge for the death of four youths. Retired Punjab police AIG Jaskirat Singh Chahal was SHO of Nakodar in 1986 when four members of the All-India Sikh Students Federation were killed in police firing. The youths were leading a protest against the sacrilege of five ‘saroops’ of Guru Granth Sahib when they were shot dead.
• Sources said Chahal had previously rented the house but shifted after a plan to attack the house was exposed about two years ago.
• While fleeing Sector 10, the suspects also told the auto driver that the retired police officer had killed their associates and they were seeking a revenge.

On the day of attack, the same auto driver ferried the suspects to Sector 10. “The driver claims he doesn’t know the suspects and that they coincidentally hired his auto for the second time,” the police added.

The auto driver, who was nabbed within a few hours after the incident, told the police that the suspects hired his auto from the ISBT. He reached house number 575 in Sector 10, where the blast took place, after passing through the Attwa Chowk road, Kisan Bhawan Chowk, Matka Chowk and Sector 10/9 road.

After the attack, the suspects got off the auto at the Sector 17/18 light point and hired another auto. “They paid the auto driver Rs 500 and casually walked across the road to hire another auto,” a police official said.

The police said they were investigating the route taken by the suspects while fleeing.

The investigation has revealed that the suspect, who was wearing a white cap, had hurdled the explosive device in the house. There was no casualty but some windows and pots kept in the lawn were damaged.

Today, a team of the UT Police, along with forensics experts, inspected the crime scene. They conducted a thorough search for explosives in and around the property. No splinters were found.

The police got the bushes in the park opposite the house trimmed as a precautionary security measure.