Seven suspects detained as NIA joins J&K probe

A day after a fidayeen (suicide) attack in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, police have detained at least seven suspects as the NIA joined state police’s probe.

The death toll from the attack rose to 49 as four more seriously wounded paramilitary men succumbed to injuries at army’s 92 base hospital in Badamibagh, Srinagar on Friday.

Sources said multiple raids were conducted by security forces on Friday in several areas of south Kashmir. “The detained are likely to be questioned by a 12-member National Investigation Agency (NIA) team, which arrived in Srinagar on Friday. Experts of anti-terror commando force, the National Security Guard (NSG), have also reached here,” they said.

On Thursday, a Union home ministry official had said that an NIA team with forensic experts was being sent to Srinagar to assist Jammu and Kashmir Police in forensic evaluation of the scene.

Sources revealed that evidences collected from the spot have been sent to the forensic science laboratory for finding out the nature of explosives. “Initial probe has revealed that the suicide bomber of Jaish-e-Muhammad rammed his car into the CRPF convoy that was laden with RDX in large quantity... that is why the nature of damage was so high,” they said.