Republic Day alert: Security personnel check vehicles in Srinagar. File/Express Photo by Shuaib Masoodi
Jammu and Kashmir Police, late Thursday night, arrested an 18-year-old girl suspected to be a suicide bomber. Security personnel were on high alert following inputs that a girl from Pune may attempt a suicide attack on January 26, Republic Day.
Police sources confirmed that the girl, along with an accomplice, has been arrested, and that an investigation is underway. “We are trying to obtain details about her plans,” a police official said.
A communication sent by Inspector-General of Police, Kashmir stated that a girl from Maharashtra who is ‘in the Valley may cause a bomb explosion near or inside the Republic Parade venue in the Kashmir Valley’. Following the input, security was beefed up in Srinagar as well as in other parts of the state and those attending Republic Day celebrations were thoroughly checked.
Earlier, speaking to The Indian Express, a senior police official had said: “Yes, we have received a communication about the possibility of a suicide attack by an 18-year-old woman. After the inputs, precaution is being taken at all sensitive places.”