Cops foil bid to blow up RSS HQ, 3 ultras gunned down

Nagpur, June 1 (UNI) Police foiled a major attempt to blow up the RSS headquarters here when they gunned down three heavily-armed militants in an encounter this morning.

Police Commissioner S P S Yadav told UNI that around 0430 hrs, a police patrolling van spotted a white Ambassador car, bearing the registration number MH20B8979, moving in a suspicious manner towards the RSS headquarters from the east side in the Mahal area.

The police van gave a chase to the car and intercepted it near the Bharat Mahila School. When the cops tried to open the door of the car, the three militants inside opened fire at them. The cops, who were wearing bullet-proof jackets, were slightly injured.

The police, in retaliation, fired at the three, killing them on the spot. The three, aged between 20 and 25, were donning police uniforms, the commissioner said.

Mr Yadav said the possibility of the attack having been planned by an organisation like Lashkar-e-Toiba could not be ruled out.

The police have recovered twelve hand grenades, three AKM (AK modified) rifles and a large amount of RDX. The amount of explosives seized was sufficient to blow up the RSS headquarters if the militants had succeeded, Mr Yadav said.

The police have also found a receipt dated May 25, 2006, for the shoes purchased by them in Patna. The words ''RSS Nagpur'' were found written on the back of the receipt, the police commissioner said.

Meanwhile, all roads leading to the RSS headquarters in the generally crowded Mahal area were cordoned off and security beefed up around the buildings.

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