5 LeT men held for Baramulla attack

Samaan Lateef

Srinagar, May 19

The police today claimed to have arrested four LeT militants and an associate, who were involved in the recent grenade attack on a liquor shop in Baramulla.

Five pistols, 23 grenades, nine magazines, ammunition and an improvised explosive device have been seized. This terror module was involved in several terror incidents in Baramulla, said Kashmir IGP Vijay Kumar.

Lone breadwinner gone, say daughters

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• Shivani and Priyanka, daughters of Ranjit Singh, say the Baramulla grenade attack snatched the sole breadwinner of the family.
• A labourer, Ranjit, while taking up the salesman job 20 days ago, hoped that it would bring the family out of poverty, the kin say.
• “What wrong did my father do to them (terrorists)? Who will feed us? They snatched our bread-earner,” says a sobbing Priyanka.

The arrested terrorists have been identified as Shahid Showkat Bala, Safeer Ahmad Mir, Muhammad Maroof Soleh, Faisal Shaban Gojri and their aide Hatif Ahmad Sofi. All of them are residents of Baramulla.

At a press conference, Baramulla SSP Rayees Mohamad Bhat said it was a big achievement for the police and the security forces that the case was solved within 48 hours. “The case was cracked with the help of human and technical intelligence,” Bhat said.

He said two motorbike-borne terrorists stopped in front of the liquor shop on Tuesday. “The burqa-clad pillion rider dropped a grenade inside the shop through a porthole window. The attacker also sustained splinter injuries. To destroy the evidence, the terrorists burnt the burqa,” the SSP said.

An employee, Ranjit Singh, of the liquor shop was killed and three others were injured.

The investigating agencies obtained critical leads from the nearby CCTV cameras and a grenade lever found at the spot. During the interrogation of suspects, a major breakthrough was achieved by arresting four terrorists and their associate of the so-called Falcon Squad of LeT’s TRF group, he said.

The bike (JKO5F4822) used in the crime has also been seized. “The seized explosives suggest that terrorists were planning to carry major attacks across the district,” the police said. The consignment of weapons and explosives was received by the terrorists a few days before they executed the liquor shop attack.

Terming as disturbing the use of burqa in such attacks, Bhat said that earlier in Sopore, a burqa-clad woman attacked a security force bunker with a petrol bomb. Such cases suggest some measures should be taken to tackle the misuse of veil, the SSP said, adding that security forces would carry out frisking at checkpoints to ensure that the veil misuse by terrorists is stopped.

In Rajouri, the daughters of Ranjit Singh said the terrorism had snatched away the seven-member family’s sole breadwinner. Shivani and Priyanka said the family had hoped for a better future when their father got the job of a salesman at the Baramulla liquor vend 20 days ago. “The terrorists shattered our dreams. They snatched our only bread-earner,” said the daughters.

Attacker hurt too

The burqa-clad terrorist, who threw a grenade inside the liquor shop in Baramulla, had sustained splinter injuries. The attack had left one dead and three injured. The ultras had got arms and explosives recently.