Watch video: Pulwama-like tragedy averted in Kashmir with timely inputs

The bomb disposal squad instead of diffusing the explosive, exploded the vehicle

A major terror plot was averted in Jammu and Kashmir after the security forces recovered a car laden with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in South Kashmir's Pulwama district. The explosive laden car was said to be placed at a strategic location to target a security forces convoy or a defence installation.

The explosive was kept in a blue drum inside the car. A bomb disposal squad reached the spot on Thursday morning. People were asked to move away from the vicinity. The bomb disposal squad then instead of diffusing the explosive, exploded the vehicle.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police tweeted: "A major incident of a vehicle borne IED blast is averted by the timely input and action by Pulwama Police, CRPF and the Army."

 

As per the reports, late on Wednesday night, a car was intercepted by the security forces from Rajpora in South Kashmir's Pulwama district. The police had a specific input about a lone car, which was tracked to Shaadipura, (Rajpura road) in Pulwama.

 

However, the driver, who is said to be a Hizbul Mujahideen militant, managed to escape after initial firefight in the cover of drakness.

Investigationn so far have revealed that the white colour Santro car had a number plate of a two- wheeler, which was registered in the name of a resident of Jammu's Kathua.

Nearly 400 jawans of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were the target of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in the failed terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama on Thursday, suspect senior security officials.

The plan had similarities with the 2019 Pulwama attack, which left more than 400 CRPF personnel killed as a suicide bomber drove an explosives-laden car into their convoy.

"This convoy was supposed to start from Bakshi Stadium camp at around 7:00 am and was supposed to reach Jammu. The convoy had almost all rank officials and personnel of CRPF which were close to 400. It is suspected that terrorists wanted to target this convoy through a Santro Car seized and destroyed by Jammu and Kashmir police along with CRPF and Indian Army," a top CRPF official involved in the operation told ANI.

But this time, a couple of days ago, an intelligence input about a possible attack was communicated verbally, keeping in mind the gravity of the information, to all the forces. Jammu and Kashmir Police further developed it.

Finally, during the early hours of Thursday, security forces caught the vehicle full of IED and destroyed it.

"The vehicle was destroyed around 6 am and around 7:30 am Thursday parts of the destroyed vehicle were removed from an area where forces destroyed it. The operation was done in a very coordinated manner," a senior official claimed.

The security forces on Thursday prevented a massive 2019 Pulwama type car bomb attack in Jammu and Kashmir after they stopped a vehicle carrying over 20 kg of an improvised explosive device (IED), enough to carry out a major attack in Pulwama.

The police had said the car with a fake registration number was signalled to stop at a checkpoint but vehicle driver who was a terrorist accelerated and tried to escape with the vehicle.

"The security forces opened fire. The driver managed to escape, leaving behind the car laden with IED," Inspector General of Police Vijay Kumar said.