NIA chargesheets eight, including Pakistan-based ‘terrorist’, in Ambala car blast case

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed chargesheet against eight accused, including Pakistani “gangster-turned-terrorist” Shehzad Bhatti, in connection with a car bomb blast in Haryana’s Ambala in January.

The explosion had taken place in the parking area of Baldev Nagar Police Station.

Mr. Bhatti is also wanted in other terrorist cases. The other arrested seven accused are Indian nationals. They have been identified as Karamjit Singh, Akash, Soureb, Raman Kumar, Satyam, Sukhdev Singh, and Amarjeet Singh.

Police establishments as targets

In the chargesheet, the probe agency has detailed the roles of the accused and the conspiracy orchestrated allegedly by Mr. Bhatti to attack Baldev Nagar police station “with the aim to spread terror among the people by targeting police establishments”.

As alleged, the Pakistani terrorist had established operational modules in India, and assigned local operatives to arrange logistics and explosive substances for carrying out attacks at police establishments as part of the conspiracy. Mr. Akash was Mr. Bhatti’s principal India-based operative, responsible for coordinating the attacks with co-accused, the NIA said.

“The Baldev Nagar police station was targeted following reconnaissance of potential targets… Some of the accused had parked the car packed with gas cylinders and explosive substances, on the police station premises and even videographed the scene for dissemination and publicity,” the agency said.

The NIA alleged that Mr. Bhatti had recruited and radicalised the accused through social media platforms and encrypted communication channels. It also established, through various digital, electronic, documentary and forensic evidence, that the accused had remained in touch with the handler during the planned attack.

The agency has so far uncovered a “chain of recruitment, financing, operational coordination, procurement of explosive substances, and execution of the terrorist act by the accused on Mr. Bhatti’s directions”.