Patna: PLFI extremists attempt to escape by hurling bombs inside prisoners’ bus

PATNA: In a daring incident, two People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI) extremists, Sonu Kumar and Sikandar Rai, allegedly in connivance with escort party personnel, made an attempt to flee by hurling two low intensity bombs inside the prisoners’ bus in which they along with 16 other inmates were being transported to Beur central jail from Patna city court after production in state capital on Tuesday afternoon.
The incident took place near Dashratha Mor on NH-30, around three kilometres from the jail. Sources said two bombs were hurled inside the bus by PLFI extremists. However, the bus driver managed to bring all inmates inside jail premises.

Sources also said it was a sub-inspector, leading the escort party, who helped the extremists to get four explosives and two country made pistols from their associates during production inside court. Sources said a policeman and an inmate was injured in the incident.

Sources said Kumar was state chief and was arrested from Guru Govind Singh Hospital near Ranchi railway station on September 6, 2015 in connection with explosion inside a flat at Bahadurpur Colony on March 30, 2015. During investigation, it surfaced the flat was used as storage house by PLFI. Sikandar was arrested from Malsalami police station area in 2016.

"Altogether 18 prisoners were sent to Patna city court from jail. The incident took place when they were being brought back," said a senior police officer on condition of anonymity.

He said after quizzing Sonu and Sikandar it surfaced that an officer in the escort party, responsible to their secure transportation, had connived with them.

"Bomb detection and disposal squad (BDDS) of anti-terrorism squad (ATS) was roped in which recovered one live bomb, a country made pistol and couple of ammunitions from the bus," he said.

Quoting Sonu, he said it was a sub-inspector in escort party who took one of the pistols from extremists and threw out of the bus’s window after escape attempt failed.

"The officer was detained. On his indications some roadside locations were searched twice to recover the pistol but with no result," sources said.

Patna zonal IG Nayyar Hasnain Khan, accepting that PLFI extremists were behind the incident, said 13 policemen, seven special auxiliary police (SAP) personnel in escort party were suspended and letter was written to terminate service of six home guard jawans. “Further investigation were on,” he added.