Delhi HC blast: 2 arrested in Kishtwar, face conspiracy charge

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Two persons from Kishtwar were arrested today and charged with criminal conspiracy in connection with the terror mail traced to Jammu and Kashmir owning responsibility for the Delhi High Court blast.

In the first arrests in the email episode, Official sources said Abid and Sharik have been booked under Section 120(B)IPC (criminal conspiracy) after they were arrested by the National Investigation Agency(NIA) and J and K police.

The two were accused of sending the terror email about an hour after the briefcase blast outside the High Court last on Wednesday that killed 13 persons.

As a major breakthrough in the probe eluded investigators a week after the terror attack, Union Home Secretary R K Singh said there were clues and some arrests made in connection with the blast but did not give any details. "Some people have been arrested and they are being interrogated," Singh told reporters in New Delhi when asked about the progress in cracking the case.

He said NIA has got some clues and there is progress. "We have clues. There is progress also. But we do not want to disclose whatever progress we have made as it will hamper the investigation," he said. It is alleged that either Abid or Sharik had used the gmail acount "harkatuljihadi2011@gmail.com" account for sending the email, which claimed responsibility for the blast.

Official sources said they have been questioned and their role in the blast conspiracy is being probed vigorously.

Records of the computer used in a cyber cafe in Kishtwar is being analysed to ascertain if the two had any links with the perpetrators of the crime. The sources, however, said that neither of the two had any past criminal or militancy-related record. The sources said there could be a possibility that they had sent the email at the behest of someone. The duo were maintaining total silence during questioning and the two would be subjected to a lie detector and other scientific tests, they said.

"We own responsibility of the blast at the High Court, Delhi. Our demand is that Afzal Guru’s death sentence should be repealed immediately as we would target major High Courts and the Supreme Court of India," the terror mail had said.

The NIA on Tuesday raised the reward money from Rs five lakh to Rs 10 lakh for anybody giving information about the perpetrators of the blast.