Uttar Pradesh encounter: We have no evidence yet of any IS link, say police
Lucknow operation
The anti-terror operation near Lucknow resulted in the death of a suspected terrorist named Saifullah who police believed was linked to IS
Daljit Chaudhary, Additional Director General of Police (ADG) who oversaw the operation in Lucknow during Tuesday's anti-terror operation in Thakurganj outsideLucknow in Uttar Pradesh said there wasno evidence yet of ISlink to Saifullah who was gunned down by the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad.
"Eight pistols, more than 600 cartridges, bomb making instruments, pellets, timers, wires were recovered," Daljit Chaudhary added.
Daljit Chaudhary also saidthe police recovered 45gramsof gold and foreign currency from the house.
The investigation into the encounter in Lucknow, where a suspected IS terrorist was killed, is likely to be handed over to the NIA, a senior Home Ministry official told PTI on Wednesday.
Earlier, IG Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) Aseem Arun had said that the slain terror suspect was an active member of the IS.
"The slain terror suspect belongs to the Khurasan module of the ISand was an active member. But, whether he has been indoctrinated or not is a matter of investigation," Arun had told reporters.
In fact, speaking in Madhya Pradesh Assembly, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had categorically said that those who orchestrated the blast arrived from Lucknow and planted the bomb in the passenger train as part of a "pre-planned conspiracy".
"The terrorists were influenced by Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terror ideology and carried out the blast. It was a pre-planned conspiracy," Chouhan declared in the Assembly during the state budget session.
The encounter started on Tuesday around 4 pm in Thakurganj area outside Lucknow after police received atip-off from outside the state. Earlier in the day, a blast occurred in the Bhopal-Ujjain train which was later linked to Saifullah.
Uttar Pradesh ATS quickly surrounded the house and waited for Saifullah to surrender but he refused, finally, after nearly 12 hours, he was gunned down by the ATS commandos.
(WION with agency inputs)