J-K: Two arrested in connection with Srinagar grenade attack

Police in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday arrested two people in connection with the grenade attack in Srinagar that left two persons dead and 38 people injured on Sunday.

"On March 6, information was received about grenade attack near Amira Kadal Bridge. The case was registered. It caused 38 injuries, including 36 civilians. Later two injured civilians succumbed to their injuries. Superintendent of Police (SP) Srinagar, Rakesh Balwal formed an SIT. Two accused have been arrested," said Lakshya Sharma, SP South, Srinagar.

The arrested accused have been identified as Mohammad Bariq and Fazil Nabi Sofi- residents of the Khanyar area in Srinagar.The police further said that the SIT used modern means of investigation like frame-by-frame analysis of CCTV footages from crime scene, CCTV footage, cellphone tower dump analysis, IP dump analysis, as well as by recreating the crime scene and eye-witnesses' accounts.

The sleuths then identified two accused who came on a two-wheeler with no number plate and fled the spot after lobbing grenade, the police said.

"During the intense analysis of the CCTV trail in Srinagar city, the route adopted by both accused was located back to one neighborhood in Khanyar area," the police said in a statement.

The police first arrested Mohd Bariq from Khanyar, whose examination led to the arrest of the second accused Fazil Nabi Sofi. The two-wheeler used in this grenade attack was also seized. The two men executed the attack on the direction of terrorists active in the Kashmir Valley, the police said.

"The plan was to attack the parked security vehicle but due to grenade throwing from a moving two-wheeler, the target was missed and the grenade exploded in an adjacent crowded area where many roadside vendors and buyers were busy in routine works," the police said, adding that the terrorists carefully chose the area to inflict maximum damage as it's crowded due to unorganized vendors and stalls on the road.

"There were two other grenade attacks in this area on August 10, 2021, and on January 25, 2022," the police added.

The police said that the terror act has caused anguish among the people in the city. The police have urged commercial establishments and shops to install CCTV cameras inside and outside their complexes.

"This will act as a strong deterrence to all the anti-social elements," it said.

Further investigation is underway.

( With inputs from ANI )

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