In a first such instance in the Kashmir valley, security forces have recovered sticky bombs or magnetic IEDs from a hybrid terrorist in Sopore township of Baramulla district of the union territory, police said on Sunday.
The suspect Saqib Shakeel Dar, with war-like stores was apprehended in a joint operation by security forces, based on a specific tip-off in Shangargund, Sopore.
During spot interrogation, he admitted to having hidden Magnetic Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in the Chak Barat Orchards. The security forces launched a search of the orchards to recover three IEDs and seven detonators.
The magnetic IEDs are small but powerful bombs with high blast impact, affixed to vehicles, capable of causing serious damage and killing passengers. Easily portable, they enable specific targeting of VIPs and innocent passengers, avoiding existing detection measures by security forces and have been, of late, employed by terrorists across the globe.
Hybrid terrorist is a term coined by security forces in Jammu and Kashmir to describe those ultras who carry out a subversive task assigned to them by their handlers before slipping back into normal life.
Speaking to reporters in Sopore, in north Kashmir, SP Sopore, Shabir Nawab, said the security forces laid a naka in Shangergund area of Sopore on a specific input about the movement of a hybrid terrorist on Saturday evening.
The hybrid terrorist was arrested and a pistol, a pistol magazine, eight pistol rounds were seized from his possession, while sticky bombs were recovered from a location told by him, the officer said.
Nawab said after questioning the arrested ultra, security forces recovered three sticky bombs or magnetic bombs and seven detonators from an orchard of village Chek-i- Brath area. Further investigation is on, he said.
The SP said it was for the first time that sticky bombs were recovered in Sopore. Officials said it was the first instance that the sticky bombs were recovered in the valley.
There have been a couple of such instances in Jammu region of the UT earlier.
Sticky bomb is a magnetic bomb, which sticks to a vehicle, it is a high explosive and very destructive and dangerous to security forces and civilians and can cause huge loss of life and property, the SP said. Nawab said the recovery of the bombs was a huge success for the security forces.
Earlier, on July 3, six sticky bombs along with other arms and ammunition were recovered from a terrorist hideout in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.
In May, four Hindu pilgrims were killed and at least 20 injured when their bus caught fire near Katra in Jammu. Police suspect a sticky bomb might have been used to trigger the fire.
(With inputs from PTI)
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