Indore-Patna derailment was revenge for surgical strikes, claims ISI man

The handler working for the ISI told interrogators that the Patna-Indore derailment was intended at avenging the surgical strikes against terror outfits in Pakistan late last year

Even as investigations move ahead into the terror link to the train derailment cases in India, the Nepal handler working for Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence has told the police that the motive was revenge. Earlier this week the Bihar police had arrested three persons on the suspicion that they had a hand in the derailment of the Indore-Patna Express in which 150 passengers were killed.

A team of the National Investigation Agency which is questioning the arrested trio Umashankar Patel, Motilal Paswan and Mukesh Yadav has picked up evidence of an ISI hand. However, the NIA officer points out that these are early days and they would need to work further to establish a link.

Meanwhile, the Nepal police who have questioned the Nepal based operative Mujhahir Ansari have shared details with the Indian agencies. According to his interrogation report, the plot was hatched after the surgical strikes carried out by India in September 2016.

Ansari also tells the Nepal police that they were instructed by their module boss Shamshul Huda to avenge the strikes. Following this a plan was hatched. The first target was meant to be a train passing on the railway track at Ghorasan near Motihari. However, this plan for October 1 failed after the villagers detected the pressure cooker bomb on the tracks.

After a failed first attempt, they decided to target the Indore-Patna Express. This time around they removed the fish plates on the tracks thus causing the derailment the accused persons also told the police.

OneIndia News