india

Updated: Apr 01, 2019 23:39 IST

Jammu and Kashmir’s Director General of Police Dilbag Singh on Monday night said that a would-be Hizbul Mujahideen “suicide bomber” tried to repeat Pulwama-like attack on a CRPF convoy in Ramban on March 30.

Owais Amin, the suspect, was arrested Sunday night and has confessed to his crime, Singh said at a press conference here late evening. Amin is said to be from Shopian in South Kashmir.

A CRPF convoy from Srinagar to Jammu had a narrow escape when a Santro car exploded at Tethar, seven kms from Banihal in Ramban district on March 30.

The car explosion around 10:30 am had slightly damaged a CRPF bus and there was no loss of life or injuries to the CRPF personnel.

The DGP said that following the car explosion, police along with security forces launched investigations during which an unexploded IED was recovered.

“The driver of the car had escaped from the spot but police carefully worked on the clues. The dots were professionally connected with the help of FSL experts. We also recovered a tabeez (talisman), a half burnt pullover on the trail from where the suspected terrorist had escaped.”

Police had also recovered some items like LPG cylinders, IED, petrol, urea and sulphur near site of the blast during the investigations.

Singh said that soon after the incident, check posts were put up on the Jammu-Srinagar highway and based upon leads a dossier of the suspected militant was prepared.

“Owais Amin was probably hiding in the vegetation adjoining the highway and last evening he came on the highway and took lift in a Kashmir-bound tipper truck,” he said.

However, alert policemen and security personnel nabbed him at a check post Sunday night near Ramban while he was trying to flee back to Valley.

“We also found burn marks on his body, which suggested that he sustained them in the first explosion. He confessed that he was a suicide bomber but it appeared that the mechanism was not foolproof and the second blast could not be triggered,” said the DGP.

After first blast that was minor in intensity, Owais, alias Musaib Jihadi and Huzaifa probably changed his mind and fled from the spot, said the DGP.

“He owes his allegiance to Hizbul Mujahideen and now we are trying to extract other details from him like who were his handlers, how he managed to reach Tethar and how and where his car was fabricated,” said Singh.

On February 14 a Jaish-e-Mohammed suicide bomber Adil Mir had rammed his explosive laden car in a CRPF convoy at Pulwama killing over 40 personnel.

It has been learnt that investigators found a suicide note from the blast site, according to which, Owais wanted to carry out a Pulwama-type terror attack on the CRPF to avenge the “atrocities” committed by “Bharat” against the people of Kashmir.