Delhi Police writes to Telegram to probe Khalistan link to blast suspect spotted in CCTV footage

    New Delhi, Oct 21 (PTI) Probing a possible Khalistani link to the explosion near a CRPF school in Rohini, the Delhi Police on Monday wrote to the social messaging app Telegram, seeking information about a 'channel' which claimed that the blast was in retaliation to the "targeting" of pro-Khalistan separatists allegedly by Indian agents.
    Police sources also said that the CCTV footage of a suspect from the night before the incident was recovered and more than two dozen people spotted near the site just before the explosion have been questioned.
    Hours after the blast on Sunday, a purported Telegram post by a channel named 'Justice League India' was circulated on social media. The post had a video of the blast with a "Khalistan Zindabad" watermark at the bottom.
    "If Indian coward agency and their master think they can hire filthy goons to target our members to silence our voice then they live in fools world. They can't imagine how close we are to them and how capable we are to strike anytime #KhalistanZindabad #JLI," the Justice League India said in the post along with the clip.
    A Delhi Police source said, "The police have written to Telegram to know the details of the creator of Justice League India."
    Another police source said a person in a white T-shirt was seen loitering at the site of the blast on Saturday night. "But we cannot confirm at this point if he planted the bomb," he added.
    The place witnesses a heavy rush of people at night as there are several eateries located on the opposite side of the blast site, an officer said.
     Over two dozen people have been questioned who were seen near the site but the police have not got any lead so far, the officer added.
     Police have also questioned shopkeepers, security guards, and sweepers to know if they had noticed any suspicious activity before the incident.
     The strong blast ripped through a wall of the school in Rohini's Prashant Vihar area on Sunday morning. No one was hurt in the blast but a signboard, hoardings of nearby shops and window panes of vehicles parked near the spot were damaged.
     Police are also trying to ascertain the composition of the bomb, which was suspected to be placed one foot deep near the school wall.
     It is suspected that the bomb was made with a mixture of three chemicals -- hydrogen peroxide, borate and nitrate -- weighing more than two kgs and it was wrapped in a brown coloured packet, a police officer told PTI.
     He said that samples have been collected by forensic teams and National Security Guards experts from the blast site and their reports are still awaited.
     Police sources suggested that the explosion may have been caused by a "chemical bomb," created by combining various chemicals.
     Sources in Delhi Police on Sunday said it was a low-intensity IED (Improvised Explosive Device) controlled with a timer or remote without shrapnel or ball bearings.
     Police suspected that the perpetrators wanted to send a message to the authorities.
     In the FIR, police mentioned a "white powder found scattered" at the site and said the explosion was caused by an "unknown explosive substance".
     A team of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) from Pune also visited the spot on Monday morning.
     Apart from the teams of the Delhi Police Special Cell, Crime Branch and local police, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) are also investigating the case.
     An FIR under Sections 326(g) (mischief with severe consequences to public safety) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act and Explosives Act was registered at Prashant Vihar police station.
     The FIR stated that there had been a "loud noise accompanied by white fumes of smoke" near the outer boundary wall of the CRPF Public School on Lancer Road.
     A hole, caused by the blast, in the boundary wall of the school is evident, the FIR said. Window panes and signboards of shops opposite the CRPF school were damaged due to the blast's impact, it said.
     On Sunday, the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and NSG teams inspected the spot and collected samples.
     NSG commandos also deployed robots to scour the area for more explosive materials.
     The officer said the perpetrator "intentionally" selected the spot to not harm the people but to send a message.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)