Security agencies have intensified vigilance after improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were recovered in separate incidents in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, even as intelligence inputs warned of a possible terror plot allegedly linked to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) targeting locations in Delhi. While officials have not formally connected the recovered explosives to the threat alert, the timing of the incidents has heightened concern among security agencies.
In Punjab, an IED was discovered on Friday inside a suspicious bag near the Rayya police post in Amritsar. According to police, the bomb disposal squad was immediately deployed after the bag was noticed. The device was confirmed to be an IED and was safely defused following established security protocols. Senior Superintendent of Police Sohail Qasim Mir said swift action prevented any potential danger in the area.
On the same day, another IED was detected in Safapora in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ganderbal district. The army’s bomb detection squad, working alongside J&K Police, located and neutralised the device within hours. Officials noted that this was the third such recovery in North Kashmir within a week, following earlier detections on Tangmarg Road and in Baramulla.
The recoveries come amid intelligence warnings indicating a possible terror conspiracy involving Lashkar-e-Taiba. Sources said the group may be attempting to target religious and tourist locations in Delhi, including areas around Chandni Chowk and the Red Fort. Agencies are examining the possibility of an IED-based attack in crowded or sensitive zones.
Security officials believe the alleged plot could be linked to efforts by militant groups to retaliate for a February 6 suicide bombing at a mosque in Islamabad that killed more than 30 people, although responsibility for that attack was claimed by the Islamic State.
The alert follows heightened security concerns after a deadly car explosion near Delhi’s Red Fort three months ago, which killed 12 people and injured more than 20. Investigators later linked that attack to a terror module backed by Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, with a United Nations counter-terrorism monitoring report also citing connections to Jaish.
In response to the latest intelligence inputs, authorities have strengthened security arrangements around major temples, crowded markets, and key tourist sites across the national capital, particularly near the Red Fort, while surveillance and counter-terror operations have been stepped up in multiple regions.
