Srinagar: Two persons who police said were involved in hurling a grenade at crowded Amira Kadal were arrested on Tuesday.
Two persons including an elderly person and a woman were killed in the explosion. Besides 24 more were injured in the attack.
SSP Srinagar Rakesh Balwal set up a SIT headed by Lakshay Sharma SP South and consisting of Shabir Ahmed SDPO Kothibagh, Fayaz Hussain SDPO Shaheed gunj, Faizan Ali DySP/PC, Anzar Shah DySP(Probationer), Gowhar Hussain SHO Shaheed Gunj and Taseer Ahmed Inspector/PC as members.
It said that SIT employed modern means of investigation and based on the technical evidences like minute frame by frame analysis of the CCTV footages of scene of crime, footages of CCTVs in the whole of Srinagar, Cell Tower dump analysis, IP dump analysis, recreation of crime scene and by examination of some eyewitnesses.
“Based on this, SIT was able to identify two accused who came on a two-wheeler without number-plate to commit this crime and fled on the same vehicle after committing the militant act.
“During the intense analysis of the CCTV trail in Srinagar city, the route adopted by both accused was located back to one neighbourhood in Khanyar area,” police added.
The first accused Mohd Bariq son of Md Shafi Magrey of Koolipora, Khanyar was arrested from Khanyar, Srinagar and his examination led to arrest of second accused Fazil Nabi Sofi son of Ghulam Nabi Sofi of Koolipora, Khanyar. The two-wheeler used in this grenade attack was also seized by SIT, it said.
Police said that it further came out that the two accused had committed the militant act on the directions of active militants in Kashmir.
“The plan was to attack the parked security vehicle but due to grenade throwing from a moving two-wheeler, the target was missed and grenade exploded in an adjacent crowded area where many road-side vendors and buyers were busy in routine works,” it said.
Further, it was also found that the particular area was chosen due to the omnipresent chaos and turbulent traffic in this stretch of area due to unorganised vendors and stalls on the road, police added.
“There have been 2 other recent grenade attacks in this area i.e. on 10th Aug 2021 and on 25th January 2022.
“Further investigation is underway and is in full swing in this case,” police said.

Reader correspondent