Srinagar (PTI): An accidental explosion ripped through Nowgam police station here, killing nine people and injuring 27 while authorities were extracting samples from a large cache of explosives confiscated in the 'white-collar' terror module case, officials said on Saturday.
Those killed in the incident that took place on Friday night were three people from Forensic Science Laboratory, two from Revenue department including a Naib Tehsildar, two police photographers, one member of State Investigation Agency and a tailor.
The blast occurred when the personnel were handling the explosive material brought from Haryana's Faridabad, the officials said, adding that the blast took place due to the unstable nature of the chemicals.
The material was part of the 360 kg of explosives recovered from the rented residence of arrested accused Dr Muzammil Ganaie, they said.
The bodies have been taken to the Police Control Room here.
At least 24 police personnel and three civilians have been admitted to various hospitals in the city, the officials said.
The massive blast smashed the quiet of the night and damaged the police station building. Small successive explosions prevented immediate rescue operations by the bomb disposal squad.
While some of the explosives recovered have been kept at forensic lab of police, the major part of the 360 kg of explosives was stored at the police station, where the primary case for the terror module was registered.
The entire conspiracy unravelled after the posters threatening police and security forces appeared on walls in Bunpora, Nowgam, in mid-October.
Treating the incident as a serious threat, Srinagar police registered a case on October 19 and formed a dedicated team.
Meticulous, frame-by-frame analysis of CCTV footage led investigators to identify and arrest the first three suspects -- Arif Nisar Dar alias Sahil, Yasir-ul-Ashraf and Maqsood Ahmad Dar alias Shahid. These three had cases of stone pelting registered against them and were seen pasting the posters.
Their interrogation led to the arrest of Maulvi Irfan Ahmad, a former paramedic turned Imam (preacher) from Shopian who supplied the posters.
The trail ultimately led Srinagar police to Al Falah University in Faridabad, where they arrested Dr Ganaie and Dr Shaheen Sayeed. It was here that the massive cache of chemicals, including ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate and sulphur, was seized.
Investigators believe the entire module was run by a core trio of doctors -- Ganaie, Umar Nabi (the driver of the explosives-laden car that exploded near the Red Fort on November 10) and Muzzaffar Rather (absconding).
The role of the eighth arrested person, Dr Adeel Rather, the brother of the absconding Dr Muzzaffar Rather from whom an AK-56 rifle was seized, is still under investigation.
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Gurugram (PTI): Days after a 19-year-old woman from Tripura was hospitalised in a serious condition following an assault by her live-in partner, police on Sunday said that the accused also burned her private parts using sanitiser and filmed her nude.
The woman’s mother alleged that the accused, who befriended her daughter online and had promised to marry her, confined her to a room for three days and even forced her to drink urine.
According to police, the woman’s condition is now stable.
The accused, Shivam (19), a resident of Delhi’s Narela, was arrested on Thursday based on an FIR registered against him at the Badshahpur police station.
The woman’s mother, a police officer in Tripura, claimed that on February 16, around 10 pm, she received a distress call from her daughter.
My daughter told me, "I don't have time, I will be killed... Shivam has been beating me and burning me for the last three days. He will kill me today."
The mother further alleged that the accused confined her daughter to a room for three days and tortured her. She also accused Shivam of forcing her daughter to drink urine and burning her private parts using sanatiser.
She said the accused also stabbed her daughter multiple times.
The mother then approached the Gurugram police, who rescued her daughter.
"My daughter is very bright in her studies. She had come to Gurugram to study. However, Shivam lured her into a trap through an online app. My daughter's condition is very serious,” she said, adding that strict action should be taken against the accused.
Earlier, police said that Shivam had allegedly established physical relations with the woman who is a college student, promising her marriage.
The couple had been living together in a paying guest accommodation in Sector 69 for the last few months. During this period, he allegedly began assaulting her after suspecting her of cheating.
A Gurugram Police spokesperson said the case has been marked for close monitoring.
“Charges of rape and assault have already been added to the FIR, and the accused has been sent to jail. Further investigation is underway,” he said.
The spokesperson added that the woman’s condition is now stable.
Police had said that on February 19, the couple had an altercation after which the accused assaulted the woman, severely injuring her. Upon receiving a call from her mother police reached the flat and rescued her.
The accused allegedly attacked the victim in a fit of rage, suspecting her of cheating on him, police had said.
The woman was initially admitted to AIIMS-Delhi and is currently undergoing treatment at Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi, police said.
