The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has said the probe into the January 29 explosion near the Israel Embassy in Delhi was handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) due to the “gravity of offence and its international implication.” The order does not mention any country.
An Improvised Explosion Device (IED) was set off at a pavement near the embassy damaging a few cars. No one was injured.
Earlier, the Special Cell of the Delhi Police was investigating the case. A handwritten note found near the explosion site and addressed to Israel’s Ambassador to India Ron Malka mentioned revenge, said the officer. The note had eight spelling mistakes in it.
The letter, in English, written by someone who identified himself as Sarallah India Hezbollah said the explosion was a trailer to avenge the killing of Iranian military commander Qasim Soleimani and others.
In an order, the MHA said, “owing to the impact of the explosion, windows of three cars which were parked on the opposite side of the road were found shattered and several components of IED were found scattered nearby.” The case was handed to the NIA on February 2.
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It said the Central government was of the opinion that a scheduled offence under the NIA Act, 2008 had been committed and having regard to the gravity of offence and its international implication, it was required to be investigated by the NIA.
The First Information Report (FIR) filed by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police mentioned that the IED blast created a crater on the pavement near a palm tree. The site of explosion was near 5, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Road, close to the Israel Embassy. It said an “envelope folded inside a closed poly pack was also found at the spot.”
The Special Cell had registered the case under Section 427 of the IPC (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) and Section 3 of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908, punishable by death.
