Police intercept explosives-laden car near Gulmarg

Two men jumped out of a blue Maruti, registration number DL3C 8177, as it headed to Srinagar from Gulmarg after seeing police stop cars at a checkpoint. As the driver sped away from the checkpost, police constables chased him on a motorcycle and intercepted him near Mazhama on the road that joins Srinagar with the hill resort.

“The two men, on seeing police checking the vehicles, jumped out of the car. As the driver approached the police checkpoint, he was asked to stop. But he sped away. The policemen followed him and intercepted the vehicle,” Makhdoomi said.

Police said the car had been stolen from the Aripanthan area of Srinagar on July 20; its registration number was changed. The owner of the vehicle, who registered a report at the local police station, said the registration number of the car was JKE 6394.

Policemen checking the car noticed a trunk with some wires attached to it. The bomb squad was called in to defuse the bomb. As Makhdoomi put it: “This is the deadliest live mine ever recovered and had it exploded, it could have caused devastation.”

Zahoor Ahmad, the arrested driver, has said he belongs to the Hizbul Mujahideen. The militant group had claimed responsibility for the recent car bomb attack at Gupkar in which five soldiers, including a major and a civilian were killed. Police later displayed the seized car and yellow explosives mixed with pieces of iron. “The iron pieces become splinters when they explode,” the police said.

Police said they also recovered two hand grenades fixed with detonators. “The remote fixed wireless set is used to trigger the blast,” an officer said.