14-year-old arrested for grenade attack in Kashmir

Srinagar, Jan 21 (UNI) The Jammu and Kashmir Police today claimed to have arrested a 14-year-old boy who they alleged was paid Rs 500 for throwing a hand grenade at Shopian main market in Pulwama district.

Basharat Ahmed Teli, a class VIII student, on seeing photographs of the dead and the wounded in the attack broke down and confessed to have thrown the grenade at Gol Chakri Shopian on January 6.

Teli, according to police, disclosed during interrogation that militants had paid him Rs 500 to carry out the grenade attack.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pulwama Nitish Kumar said Teli, a resident of Nildoora in Shopian, has been booked under juvenile delinquency instead of the Arms Act keeping in view his age. A lenient view has been taken in the case, he added.

At least three people were killed and 35 others wounded in the grenade attack in Shopian on January 6.

A special team,led by Deputy Superintendent of Police Sukhdev Raj, was constituted to probe the incident, the SSP added.

During investigations, it was revealed that two Harkat-ul- Mujahideen (HuM) militants Shahsawar and Mudasir had motivated him to lob a grenade on the Army patrol or any crowded place, he said.

''For this cruel act, Teli was promised Rs 1000, but eventually paid only Rs 500,'' the SSP claimed.

He said police have averted more bloodshed in the district by arresting two more suspected militants, identified as Altaf Wani and Imtiyaz Najar yesterday.

Two hand grenades were also seized from them before they could lob them, the SSP said.

UNI