CENTRE TRANSFERS EXPLOSION PROBE TO NIA

NEW DELHI: The Union government on Tuesday handed over the investigation in the last week’s blast near the Israel embassy to the NIA in view of a suspected Iranian link and the international ramifications of the case, people familiar with the matter said.

A low-intensity blast was reported outside the Israel embassy in New Delhi’s VVIP zone at Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Marg, around the time when security was on the highest alert due to the Beating Retreat ceremony at Vijay Chowk, less than 2km away. The blast came on the anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between India and Israel on January 29, 1992. People familiar with the development said the central anti-terror probe agency will form a special team to investigate the case. NIA sleuths will also coordinate with Israeli agencies, including Mossad, to get inputs on the outfit behind the attack, which has been termed as a terrorist act. The agency has registered a case and is getting documents from Delhi Police Special Cell. “Initial assessment has pointed out to the role of Iranian suspects, which will be the focus of our investigation among other angles,” said a senior NIA officer.

A home ministry official said, “The case file and evidence gathered by the Delhi Police’s Special Cell including the sample of the explosives used, CCTV footage and a letter recovered from the blast site will be handed over to the central agency.”