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| Blast in Srinagar ahead of Iftaar | | Three cops, woman killed, 15 others wounded | | Early Times Report
Srinagar, Sept 12: In a clearly pre-decided attack on Jammu and Kashmir Police, militants this evening triggered a remote controlled explosion killing at least three cops and a passing by woman in a busy locality of the city. At least 15 others including civilians and cops are reported to have been injured, some of them seriously and toll was likely to go up as the Police van was blown into pieces.
Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Zone, Farooq Ahmed told Early Times that the van had halted for a while when the blast took place. He said that the blast is believed to have masterminded by Rehman Bhai, the self-styled district commander of militant outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba for Shopian district. The Police have announced a reward of Rs ten lakh for any one capturing or killing Rehman Bhai.
Sources said that a van of District Police Lines Pulwama was on way back to Pulwama after dropping some detenues to the Srinagar jail when the blast took place near Chhati Padshahi Gurudwara. All cops in the vehicle, reportedly four, and a passing by woman died on the spot as the vehicle was blown into pieces.
The vehicle of District Police Lines of Pulwama in the South Kashmir had this morning carried some detenues from Srinagar Central jail for hearing before a local court in Pulwama and it had come to Srinagar to drop the detenues back to Central Jail. Minutes after Police van came out of the Central Jail after dropping the detenues that it halted for a while in Rainawari area as the cops wanted to buy some fruit for breaking their fast.
As the Police van was near the abandoned car, with some cops sitting inside and other making purchases, the hiding militants blew it up with a remote control device. The massive explosion hit the passing by Police van blowing it up into pieces. The incident occurred at 6:35 PM. Bodies of those killed in the explosion were charred badly and the injured were stated to be critical. The explosion was so powerful that the sound of the blast was heard in entire Srinagar at a time when people were rushing back home for 'Iftar' breaking the Ramzan fast.
Assistant Sub Inspector Sagar Singh and Head Constable Abdul Hamid were killed inside the vehicle on the spot, the police said. Another policeman succumbed in the hospital and his identity is yet to be established.
A woman identified as Kathija of Khawaja Yar Bal area of the city, who was walking past the site of the blast, was also killed on the spot near the police vehicle. Fifteen persons, mostly policemen, were injured in the explosion and the condition of five of them was stated to be critical. Sources said that the casualty figures is feared to go up as the vehicle was blown to pieces, a police official said.
Meanwhile, pro-Pakistan Jamiat-ul-Mujahideen militant outfit claimed responsibility for the blast. "The IED was triggered by activists of JUM", a spokesman of the outfit telephoned news organizations shortly after the explosion.
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