NEW DELHI: The seizure of deadly Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate (PETN) explosives and electronic detonators from the two alleged Harkat-ul-Jehad-e-Islami (HuJI) militants arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi police on Tuesday indicates a sudden change in the choice of explosives by Bangladesh-based militants to carry out terrorist acts.

This is probably the first time that the police have recovered PETN from Bangladesh-based militants. PETN is a plastic explosive that comes second only to RDX in terms of lethality and impact.

On earlier occasions, militants belonging to HUJI, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen and other outfits operating from Bangladesh had been found using crude bombs and those with a potassium chlorate/ammonium nitrate base and sulphuric acid, a technique mastered and popularised by senior Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant Abdul Karim Tunda, who had set up base in Bangladesh over a decade ago.

Senior officers were earlier of the view that since it was very difficult to smuggle in "controlled" explosives like PETN and RDX, Bangladeshi militants were constrained to use "homemade" or crude improvised explosive devices.

However, in case of those operating from the Kashmir Valley, it was easier to bring in these explosives through couriers operating on Indo-Pakistan border along Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan. Due to this fact, the Khalistani militants were also found using PETN and RDX in large quantities.

"Now that the Special Cell has recovered a PETN consignment from HuJI militants Said-Ul and Sohed-Ul, who disclosed that they had brought the explosive from Bangladesh, it seems that the Bangladeshi militants have managed to carve out a route for procurement of such explosives. This, if true, is a very dangerous trend," said a senior officer.

Besides, in December last, the Special Cell had arrested three alleged HuJI militants, Mohammad Ibrahim, Nafiq-ul-Vishwas and Hilal, whose interrogation purportedly revealed that "aspiring" militants were now being trained in ISI-run camps near the Balochistan border.

Another fact that came to light was that while earlier spies and militants using Bangladesh as a transit point travelled on Pakistani passports, lately some Pakistani nationals have been planted there to arrange forged Bangladeshi passports for the purpose.

Disclosures made by Said-Ul and his cousin, Sohed-Ul have also indicated another trend of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants being employed as sleeper/courier agents in the Capital.

While the police said Said-Ul was wanted by the Bangladesh police in connection with several terrorist activities, Sohed-Ul was also helping him set up base in Delhi.

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