Indian security forces on Thursday recovered 52 kg of explosives concealed underground in plastic tanks in the valley, thereby foiling a repetition of the gruesome bloodbath in Pulwama in February 2019 when a suicide bomber drove a car containing about 35kg of explosives into a security convoy, killing 40 soldiers.
According to a senior official of the Indian Army, the local police unit along with the army’s 42 Rashtriya Rifles and 130 BN Central Reserve Police Force conducted a joint search of the forest area of Awantipora town.
“During searches, two dumps containing explosive material were found which were concealed underground in two 250-litre plastic tanks. In one plastic tank, 416 high explosive gelatin sticks were kept concealed along with some ammunition while 50 detonators were recovered from the second tank,” a statement from Jammu and Kashmir police read.
The Bomb Disposal Squad was called and the detonators were destroyed.
“By virtue of this recovery, security forces have been able to avert some major terror attack by means of explosive substances,” an officer of Jammu and Kashmir police told media.
A case under relevant sections of the Unlawful Activity Act has been registered, police underlined.
Over the past few weeks, India’s Security Forces have been on the alert after obtaining intel on possible terror attack in Kashmir. They have managed to bust several terrorist hideouts and even neutralised improvised explosive devices (IED) across the valley in recent days.