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| Army personnel under scanner for planting "fake" IEDs | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Jan 2 : After the alleged fake encounters, the alleged planting of "fake" improvised explosive devices (IEDs) has started "troubling" security forces. The planting of "fake" IEDs by some people allegedly in connivance with certain middle-rung army officials is becoming a new way in militancy-ridden Jammu and Kashmir to earn hefty cash rewards, official sources said.
Certain individuals, including ex-servicemen, allegedly in connivance with some army officials were engaged in "planting black sand" and passing them on as RDX-laden IEDs to earn award money, the sources added.
The interrogation report of some of the accused including Mehboob Dar and an ex-serviceman Ram Prasad showed a deep-rooted "nexus" between the ex-servicemen and some serving officials, especially working in military intelligence in allegedly hatching a conspiracy and planting "fake" IEDs, sources said..
The nexus emerged when police recovered a consignment of apple boxes on October eight near MLA hostel here in which a cavity had been created to store a black material which was being passed off as explosive. The boxes had detonators attached to them, triggering panic.
The CID wing of Jammu police had also claimed to have "averted" a possible tragedy, saying they had advanced information about the consignment.However, after a detailed forensic analysis, the explosive material turned out to be sand which was attached to wires and detonators that were brought from stone quarries to give a realistic look of an IED, the sources added.
Sources said it seemed to be a well-planned racket in which these people earned cash rewards from secret funds given to MI and CID for gathering inputs about militant activities.
For instance, Dar said during his interrogation that he used to get Rs 30,000 to Rs 50,000 for planting these "fake" IEDs and he had done this at least 50 times between February 2009 and October 2010, when he was arrested.
The modus operandi was an eye-opener for the investigators as the details of the planting of fake IEDs, as pointed out by Dar and his accomplice Krishan, matched with the official records. In all such cases, it was found that such explosives were shown as "destroyed in situ" (destroyed on spot) by army which unearthed IEDs.
According to defence spokesman, Lt Col Biplab Nath, preliminary investigation was carried out the moment initial media reports had appeared. No involvement of MI or army personnel has come to light. The MI role in this case was limited to providing timely inputs to police authorities, he added.Notwithstanding his statement, investigators from both state and central security agencies said the role of Dar and Krishan was limited to planting of explosives. "Someone in the command is for sure involved in hatching and executing the conspiracy," sources said, adding the probe was still on and some army personnel were likely to be questioned soon.
Dar had told his interrogators that he had initially been directed by Satnam Singh, an intelligence operative working with army, to bring some sand, crushed stones and cement and pay money to stone quarries to get detonators.These were assembled and planted along with gelatin sticks at a bridge in Doda. Later, recalled Dar, he had read in a newspaper the next day that army had recovered the same and shown it as IED, sources said and added that for this work, Singh had paid him Rs 40,000.
In certain cases, Dar was allegedly asked by some MI officials to "gift" IEDs to some people after he had developed the art of manufacturing the fake devices, sources said.
Dar and Krishan were not alone in this trade and it was fast becoming a "cottage industry" where civilians were roped in for such acts with the bait of easy money, the sources added. |
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