Jammu and Kashmir Police said on Tuesday that it has solved the Srinagar grenade attack case and the two accused have been arrested.
Addressing a press conference, Senior Superintendent of Police, Srinagar, Rakesh Balwal said that two youth from Khanyar area of Srinagar, using a two-wheeler without a number plate, had lobbed the grenade in Amira Kadal area on March 6.
"Two youth who lobbed grenade at security forces at Amira Kadal were identified as Muhammad Bariq of Koolipora, Khanyar, and Fazil Nabi Sofi also from Koolipora, Khanyar.
"Both the accused had lobbed grenade on the directions of active militants, who are being tracked down," he said.
Police also seized the two wheeler used by the duo, the SSP said.
A swift probe by SIT
A special investigation team (SIT) headed by SP, City, South, Lakshay Sharma was constituted soon after attack.
In the grenade explosion on March 6, 38 civilians sustained injuries of which an elderly man, identified as Muhammad Aslam Makdhoomi, 79, and Rafiya, 19 succumbed later. Among the injured were two policemen.
Sharma, who was heading the SIT, said that they employed modern means of investigation and based on technical evidence like frame by frame analysis of the CCTV footages of the scene of the crime, footages of CCTVs of the entire city, tower dump analysis etc, the SIT was able to identify the accused who had used a two-wheeler without a number plate to commit the act of violence, and used the same vehicle to flee from the spot.
"During the intense analysis of the CCTV trail in Srinagar, the route adopted by both the accused was traced back to a neighbourhood in Khanyar area of Srinagar.
"Both accused have been arrested and it has come to fore that they lobbed the grenade in the direction of an active militant.
"The plan was to attack the parked security vehicle, but due to grenade throwing from a moving two wheeler, the target was missed and grenade exploded in an adjacent crowded area where many roadside vendors and buyers were busy in routine works.
"It was also found that this particular area was chosen due to the omnipresent chaos and turbulent traffic in this stretch of area due to unorganised vendors and stalls on the road," he added.
Sharma said that there have been two other recent grenade attacks in the same area on August 10, 2021 and on January 25, this year.
"Further investigation is underway and is in full swing in this case," he said.
Meanwhile, both police officials urged all the shopkeepers of Srinagar to install CCTVs in and outside their shops to prevent such incidents in future.
(With inputs from IANS)
