3 terror suspects held with IED in Haryana; Rajasthan Police join probe

JAIPUR: Rajasthan Police has sent its team to Ambala after Haryana's Special Task Force (STF) busted an alleged terror module and arrested three people accused of conducting reconnaissance in Rajasthan's Hanumangarh district, officials said.

The three suspects were arrested by the Haryana STF on Friday, and a 2 kg improvised explosive device (IED) was recovered from them, police said.

Additional DGP (ATS) Dinesh MN said a Rajasthan Police team had been dispatched to Haryana to question the arrested suspects and gather more details about the alleged plot.

Sources said preliminary information suggests the accused conducted reconnaissance at several locations in Punjab and at important sites in Rajasthan and Haryana. "There are reports that videos of these places were recorded and sent to their handlers so that potential targets could be selected," an official said.

Investigators said one of the three arrested suspects is believed to be a resident of Rajasthan's Ajmer district.

According to initial inputs, the suspects may also have kept the IED parcels in Hanumangarh for a few days before moving them elsewhere. Police in Hanumangarh have begun scanning CCTV footage across the district to trace their movements.

"We sent a deputy SP-rank officer to Haryana and are in constant touch with the STF there," an official said.

Police are also trying to find out whether the suspects had any local support network in the district. "A special team of Hanumangarh police is looking into the matter, including to ascertain places the accused travelled in the district," the official said.

Officials said in Nov last year, the Gujarat ATS busted a terror module and the accused claimed they had picked up an arms cache from Tibbi town in Hanumangarh.