The plan to set off a major explosion was averted
on Sunday in Jammu City, as a powerful Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was recovered
from a nursing student, who along with three others, were held, PTI reported.
According to Mukesh Singh, Inspector General of Jammu Range, 15 smaller IEDs as
well as six pistols were recovered in a separate operation in the valley’s
Samba district.

Singh, alongside Director General of Police Dilbag
Singh, said the youth was searched for moving about in a suspicious manner near
a bus stand, and upon being stopped, nearly seven kilograms of inactivated IED
was recovered from him.

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“Over the past four days we were on high alert
because there was general intelligence input that terror groups want to trigger
a major blast in Jammu city on the second anniversary of the Pulwama attack.
The security around all important locations were strengthened and checking
intensified,” PTI quoted Singh as saying.

The youth was identified as Suhail Basir Shah of
Newa village in Pulwama, who was reported to be pursuing a nursing degree in a
college in Chandigarh. The student was stated to have been tasked with planting
the IED by his Pakistan-based handler, the Al-Badr group.

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The IGP further noted that Shah was assigned the targets
of Raghunath mandir, bus stand, railway station and Lakhdata Bazaar of the area,
scheduled to take a flight to Srinagar after planting the explosive and was due
to be received by Athar Shakeel Khan, a high-profile member of the group, who
was designated to receive him from the airport.

Subsequently, Khan was also arrested.