Terrorists holed up in Lucknow house

Uttar Pradesh anti-terrorist squad (ATS) on Tuesday surrounded a house in the walled city after information that two suspected terrorists with sophisticated weapons were holed up there.

Police suspect they might be linked to a train blast in Madhya Pradesh earlier in the day. Shots were fired from both sides, local residents said.

“The operation is the result of the UP police receiving specific inputs regarding possible terror suspects in the state,” Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Daljeet Chaudhary said.

He added that the suspects might be linked to the blast on the Bhopal-Ujjain passenger train in Shajapur district in which 10 people were hurt.

The terrorists were asked to surrender by the ATS, but they refused. One shouted that he would prefer to become a “martyr” rather than surrender. Earlier reports said there was only one terrorist in the house, situated at Haji Colony locality in Thakurganj area in the old city.

“We are trying to capture the terrorist alive. We have used chilli bomb to smoke him out, we have plenty of time,” said Inspector General (ATS) Aseem Arun.

The encounter came within hours of the arrest of two suspected terrorists in Kanpur, police sources here said.

The operation began hours before the final phase of polling in the Assembly election, covering 40 seats in eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Arun told reporters that the police had inputs about a suspected terrorist living in a rented house in Thakurganj locality in Lucknow’s old city.

A team of commandos was rushed to nab him.

“The terrorist refused to open the door. We could hear the sound of the cocking of a pistol,” Arun said.

According to locals, around 3.30 pm, over 30 policemen started getting houses vacated in the locality.

Sources said the terrorist fired shots from his hideout and the policemen retaliated.
“He had been living there for the past two months,” Arun said.

The state police were tipped off by central intelligence agencies, ADG Chaudhary said.

 He added that one arrest was made in Kanpur and there could be more than one terror suspect in Lucknow.

He said the terror linkage, connection to the Ujjain train blast and details of the module would be revealed only after interrogation of the suspects.

An alert was sounded across the state and security beefed up along the India-Nepal border.

Extensive checking was being undertaken there.