The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday, 25 February, has identified Maruti Eeco as the vehicle that was used in the terror attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir, NIA sources told The Quint.
The NIA identified the vehicle used in the attack with the support of forensic and automobile experts.
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A Maruti Suzuki Eeco van – first sold to Md Jaleel Ahmed Haqani, a resident of Anantnag’s Heaven colony, in 2011 – has been identified as the vehicle, which was used to carry out one of Jammu and Kashmir’s deadliest terror attacks in decades.
The Eeco, with chassis number MA3ERLF1SOO183735 and engine number MA3ERLF1SOO183735, was the vehicle used to bomb the CRPF convoy, the NIA said.
The investigation further found out that the vehicle had exchanged hands seven times. It finally reached one Sajjad Bhat, who is believed to be associated with Jaish-e-Mohammed.
Vehicle Belonged to Anantnag Local
The Maruti Eeco that was used to bomb the CPRF convoy belonged to Sajjad Bhat, son of Md Maqbool Bhat who is a resident of Bijbehara in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag. He got the vehicle on 4 February 2019, according to NIA findings.
On 23 February, the NIA had conducted a raid at Sajjad’s house in Anantnag with the help of Jammu and Kashmir Police. He was not found at his house at the time and is said to be evading arrest.
Sajjad, who was a student of Siraj-ul-Uloom in Shopian, is believed to have joined Pakistan-based terror outfit JeM, which claimed responsibility for the 14 February Pulwama attack.
A photograph circulating on social media purportedly shows Sajjad holding weapons.
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