Nepal border under tight watch as Delhi blast accused plan escape route

New Delhi, Nov 12 (IANS) The security agencies that have launched a nationwide hunt to track down those involved in the Delhi blasts are keeping a close watch on the Nepal border. The Intelligence agencies have stated that the accused persons may attempt to flee India through this porous border.

The agencies say that the accused could be planning on exiting India through the Nepal border and then entering Pakistan. This was the route that was frequently used by the Indian Mujahideen operatives when the terror group was active.

Officials say that it is unclear at this time how many persons were involved in the blasts. The persons arrested during the Faridabad module bust are being questioned for more information. So far, they have not revealed anything major, but the agencies are confident that eventually they will.

Those living along the Nepal border have been told to immediately report any suspicious activity. One official said that the accused persons would do everything to try and exit India. The border checks have also gone up, and every movement is being monitored closely, officials said.

Meanwhile, raids have been launched at Shopian in Jammu and Kashmir. The targets are the overground workers who are helping with the revival of terror groups. The Faridabad module was being run by the Jaish-e-Mohammad, and plenty of help was extended from Jammu and Kashmir.

In fact, one Maulvi Irfan Ahmed is said to be the one who was running a radicalisation drive. It is he who recruited most of the people into the module. The Delhi blast, according to the agencies, is directly linked to the Faridabad module.

This signals a shift in terror-related acts, and the target has once again become the heartland. This was a deliberate shift made by the Jaish-e-Mohammad as it is finding it hard to operate in Jammu and Kashmir.

Post the Pahalgam attack, security is at an all-time high in Jammu and Kashmir, which has made it hard for terror groups to operate. The raids in Jammu and Kashmir are also focused on the homes of Jamaat-e-Islami activists.

The information about the possible suspects and handlers is being provided to the police by Ahmed. The Jamaat members are under the scanner because they are known to work closely with Pakistan-based terror groups. The outfit got a boost in Bangladesh after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina. Since then, the Jamaat has been working closely with the ISI with the intention of reviving terror groups to target India.

Currently, there are multiple agencies that are working on this case. The ambit of the probe has been widened due to the magnitude of the incident. It is not just the blast that is being investigated. The agencies are chasing down a huge module, which was created to carry out a series of blasts across the country.

The sheer quantity of the seizure of explosive material from the module members suggests the scale of the attacks that they had planned.

Meanwhile, a team from the FSL visited the blast site once again to gather more information. They collected two cartridges, including one live ammunition, and samples of two different types of explosives. In all, 40 samples are being examined, which were collected from the blast site.

–IANS

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