Rajasthan ATS has arrested two people, including a woman, over the November 3 Sri Ganganagar railway track blast. Investigators suspect a Pakistani agent's role.
The Rajasthan Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested two people, including a woman, in connection with the November 3 blast on a railway track in Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar district. Investigators suspect that the accused were acting on the instructions of a Pakistani agent identified as Shah.
The two accused, identified as Devendra Singh and Mahakdeep Kaur, were arrested in Gurdaspur. Both are residents of Gurdaspur, officials said.
Police have also recovered two weapons, 46 cartridges and Rs 46,000 allegedly linked to the operation.
The accused had made multiple visits to Sri Ganganagar before the blast, it was known.
Police have also detained other individuals suspected of being involved in the incident or assisting in its execution.
An intensive interrogation of the arrested accused was underway to establish the circumstances surrounding the blast and ascertain the role of other suspected persons.
The arrests came following an investigation by the district police, with inputs from security agencies.
WHAT HAPPENED IN THE NOVEMBER 3 RAILWAY TRACK BLAST?
The explosion occurred on November 3 on the Anupgarh-Suratgarh railway line near 50 GB village in Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar district. The incident took place shortly after a passenger train had passed the spot.
Two cement pillars supporting the railway tracks were damaged in the suspected blast.
Following the incident, railway authorities suspended train movement on the affected section as a precautionary measure, resulting in the cancellation of several trains.
Train services resumed on November 5 after repair work and necessary safety inspections were completed, North Western Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Amit Sudarshan confirmed, according to IANS.
Subsequently, the Railways lodged a complaint against unidentified persons at Ramsinghpur police station, following which police registered a case and initiated an investigation.
POLICE HAD RULED OUT LINK WITH RECOVERED RDX
Earlier, Sri Ganganagar SP Harishankar had said that the blast had no connection with the 7.5 kg of RDX recently recovered in the border region.
“There is no connection with the seized RDX, till now," Harishankar had said, according to news agency ANI.
On November 14, Bikaner Range IG Om Prakash had said that investigators had identified a possible local connection and made significant progress in the case.
“One important aspect that emerged was that there was definitely some local connection involved," he had said.
He added that the Sri Ganganagar SP had been camping in the area for a considerable period and that the investigating officer, Nitin Chaudhary, had carried out extensive groundwork.
“We also received important inputs from the Central Intelligence Bureau and other agencies. At this stage, we have made significant progress and gathered several leads. The case will be solved soon," Om Prakash had said.
