15 kg cylinder IED, RDX, ammunition seized in Basantgarh

Explosive material recovered in Basantgarh on Monday. —Excelsior/K Kumar
Explosive material recovered in Basantgarh on Monday. —Excelsior/K Kumar

Searches on to trace OGWs

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 26: Police today averted a major terror plan after recovering an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Basantgarh area of Udhampur district.
An IED weighing around 15 kilogram and stored in a cylindrical object and 300-400 grams of RDX, seven 7.62mm cartridges, and five detonators were recovered in Basantgarh area during a search operation carried out by the police.
Searches were conducted on the basis of a specific information developed by the local police.
Besides, police also recovered a sheet with coded signs and a blank page with markings of the banned militant organisation–the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), the officials said.
They said a suspect has been detained by the police in connection with the recovery of the explosive material.
A case has been registered at police station Basantgarh and further investigation is underway, the officials said.
The case has been registered under FIR No. 47/2022 and Sections 4/5 Explosives Act and 16/18/23 of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
As per the officials, a major terror plot has been alerted as the IED was to be used for carrying out a terror act.
The IED was capable of causing extensive damage, they said.
On September 29 this year, twin explosions had rocked two buses at Udhampur including the one which was to head for Basantgarh, causing injuries to two civilians.
Both the blasts were handwork of a module based in Basantgarh. A surrendered militant was arrested by the police then who was instrumental in causing the explosions.
Explosive devices and other material had reached Basantgarh with the help of module and were planted in the buses with a view to cause civilian casualties. However, the IEDs had gone off when there were no passengers in the vehicles.
Meanwhile, police continued searches at different places in Basantgarh to apprehend the Over Ground Workers (OGWs) of the militants responsible for dumping the IEDs, RDX and other explosive material for terror attacks.