[Reader-list] MI officials in soup over planting RDX sand

[Aditya Raj Baul]

MI officials in soup over planting RDX sand

Press Trust Of India
Jammu, October 17, 2010
http://www.hindustantimes.com/MI-officials-in-soup-over-planting-RDX-sand/Article1-614172.aspx

After controversial fake encounters, some army officials of Northern
and Western Commands are embroiled in a controversy where a "source"
and an ex-army personnel allegedly in conspiracy with the Military
Intelligence officials planted sand and passed it off as deadly RDX
explosives to earn cash rewards.

The nefarious nexus emerged when police recovered a consignment of
apple boxes near MLA's hostel in Jammu in which a cavity had been
created to store a black material which was being passed off as
explosives. The boxes had detonators attached to it, triggering panic
on October eight.

However, after a detailed forensic analysis, the supposed-to-be
explosive material turned out to be sand which was attached to wires
and detonators that were brought from stone quarries to give a
realistic look of an improvised explosive device (IED), sources in the
Union Home Ministry said quoting interrogation of three of the accused
arrested by the police.

The accused -- Mehboob Dar, an ex-serviceman Ram Krishen and Mohammed
Rafi -- were picked up after a stone quarry dealer cracked during
questioning and told the police that he had been supplying detonators
to Dar earlier also, the sources said.

Dar's arrest showed that sand was planted in connivance with some army
officials for monetary consideration and also claimed that the rate
for planting of fake explosives at Jammu was fixed at Rs 60,000.

Northern Command spokesperson J S Brar said, "It is requested that
Western Command be approached for the same, as it does not pertains to
our area." Efforts to seek a response from the Western Command did not
fructify as there was no reply to an SMS sent to the Brigadier General
Staff of the Command.

The incident comes four months after three youths were gunned down
allegedly in cold blood by some army officials in Machil sector of
North Kashmir. The state police has filed a chargesheet against an
army colonel, two majors and six soldiers.

The arrest of Ram Krishen has raised eyebrows among the central
security agencies as he has been instrumental in recovery of
explosives for the Northern Command. During the probe carried out
discreetly, it has been found that all such explosives were shown as
"destroyed insitu" (destroyed on spot).

Dar and Rafiq are special police officers with the Jammu and Kashmir
Police who have been since suspended by the Government.