Pakistan's ISI was involved in the recent blast outside the Punjab BJP headquarters in Chandigarh, according to preliminary investigations.
The Counter-Intelligence wing of Punjab Police, in a joint operation with Chandigarh Police, arrested five people in connection with the blast. The main accused in the case is yet to be arrested, and the police are on the lookout for him.
The explosion took place around 5 pm on Wednesday when a suspected crude explosive device was hurled near the office, officials had said. No casualties were reported. An unverified video that surfaced on social media on Wednesday evening showed a man pulling the pin from a blue-coloured grenade and throwing it, while another person records the act. The duo is seen fleeing just moments before the blast. Their faces were not visible in the 10-second video, and the authenticity of the footage has yet to be verified.
Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said in a social media post that preliminary investigations revealed that the module was backed by Pakistan's spy agency- ISI. Foreign-based handlers in Portugal and Germany have been identified, he said.
"Five persons involved in the incident have been arrested and the two perpetrators involved in the attack have been identified. One grenade, and other cache has been recovered so far. Police teams are conducting operations to nab the absconding accused," he said in the tweet.
According to him, this police operation effectively foiled a major terror conspiracy aimed at disrupting peace and harmony in the region.
