Mohali SSP refutes reports of second blast outside Punjab Police Intelligence HQ

Mohali SSP Vivek Sheel Soni, in a statement, denied the reports of a second blast outside the Punjab Police's Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali, Punjab, on Tuesday. He condemned the airing of the fake information on news channels and called their claims "baseless" and "false".

The SSP further underscored that an atmosphere of turmoil is being created in society due to "unethical journalism" on such sensitive issues. He also said that a high-level probe is being carried out over the blast on Monday night and assured that the culprits will be nabbed soon.

Mohali intelligence HQ blast

A blast was reported in the late hours of Monday at the Punjab Police's Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali. Investigations into the matter revealed that the blast was caused using a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) which impacted the third floor of the building at around 7.45 p.m.

The Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters, which is located in sector 77, SAS Nagar, was quickly cordoned off and security was beefed up around the area. Following the explosion, the Mohali Police informed that there were no casualties and the forensic teams arrived to further investigate the incident. 

Punjab police detain 11 for questioning

In the latest development, the Punjab Police has detained 11 suspects for questioning based on the analysis of the CCTV footage.

Shortly after the incident, an FIR was lodged against unknown persons under Section 307 (Attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code, Section 16 ((Punishment for a terrorist act) of UAPA and Section 3 of the Explosive Substances Act (Punishment for causing an explosion likely to endanger life or property).

Meanwhile, the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) is also involved in the investigation and a preliminary enquiry suggests that the attack might have a link with the Karnal terror plot. Moreover, the enquiry, on the basis of the damage caused, also suggested that the attackers were not properly trained. Currently, Pakistan-based terrorist Harvinder Singh Rinda, who is believed to be the mastermind of the Karnal incident and has multiple cases registered against him, is under the scanner.