In a first, J&K police recover IED in perfume bottle from teacher-turned-ultra

In a major development, J&K police recovered an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted inside a perfume bottle was recovered from a government school teacher-turned Lashkar-e-Taiba militant.

Police said Arif, a resident of Reasi district, was arrested during an investigation of the twin blast case that rocked the Narwal area of Jammu injuring nine people on January 21.

J&K police chief Dilbagh Singh said this was the first time that such a bomb was recovered in the Union Territory. “We have not recovered any perfume IED in the past. The IED will blast if anyone tries to press or open it. Our special team will handle that IED,” he told reporters.

Arif was allegedly working at the behest of his Pakistani handlers and admitted to his involvement in bombing the bus carrying Vaishno Devi pilgrims that killed four people and injured 24 last May, the police chief added.

In the last few years, militants have been frequently using IEDs to attack security forces in the UT. “Some IED experts from across the border may have crossed over to J&K and joined the militants here to revitalize and use the deadly old technique of IED blasts,” sources said.

A senior police officer said the militant handlers across the border were trying to invent new ways and sources to plant IEDs to avoid detection. “Earlier they used to plant IEDs in pressure cookers or some other pots, but now they are trying to invent unique ways to blast IEDs. The perfume bottle is the new addition,” he revealed.