The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is probingthe Pulwama attack, has claimed a major breakthrough in the case with therecovery of a can from the attack site. About 25-30 kg RDX was stored in thecan kept in the vehicle used in the attack, said officials.
A source related to the probe said the agency, which visitedthe site on February 15, a day after the attack on the Central Reserve PoliceForce (CRPF) convoy that killed 40 troopers, got the lead after it collectedtraces of RDX in the can. “After evaluating the size of the can, it isbelieved about 25-30 kg RDX was stored in it, which was kept inside the car,before it was triggered,” he said.
Asked if the same amount of RDX was used in the blast, theofficial said, it would be too early to comment. “We are working to findout the actual amount of RDX and other explosives used in the attack,” hesaid.
The revelations come a day after the agency identified theMarutiEeco vehicle, which was sold seven times since 2011, used in the suicidebombing.
The NIA collected details of the MarutiEeco with assistanceof forensic and automobile experts, after piecing together remnants from theattack site of the vehicle used by suicide bomber Adil Ahmed Dar.
The vehicle identified by the NIA was bought on February 4,just 10 days before the attack, by SajjadBhat, a resident of the Anantnag district.
According to NIA officials, Bhat was a student ofSiraj-ul-Uloom in the Shopian area of J&K and had reportedly joined theJaish-e-Mohammad (JeM).
The NIA source said it has also collected the CCTV footageof the MarutiEeco on the day of the attack. “In the CCTV footage Dar canbe seen driving the car on the day of attack,” he said.
Several teams of the NIA are camping in the Valley to probethe deadliest attack on security forces since militancy erupted in Kashmir in1989.