Shimla: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday arrested three accused in connection with the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion that took place on January 1 near the premises of Police Station Nalagarh in Himachal Pradesh’s Solan district.
According to the NIA, the blast occurred at around 9.40 a.m. near the outer wall adjoining the room of the Investigating Officer within the police station complex.
The impact of the blast that occurred in a lane near the police station was so strong that the windows of nearby buildings, including those of an Army canteen 40 metres away, cracked. The loud sound of it was heard from a distance of up to 400-500 metres.
The case was initially registered as FIR No. 02/2026 at Police Station Nalagarh following the explosion.
The investigation was later taken over by the NIA, which re-registered the case on May 8, 2026, as RC-27/2026/NIA/DLI under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Explosive Substances Act, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UA(P) Act)
During the course of the investigation, the involvement of three accused — Mahavir Kumar alias Kaka, Ajay Mehra, and Manpreet Singh alias Mani — came to light. The NIA subsequently arrested the three accused as part of its efforts to uncover the larger conspiracy behind the terror attack.
The agency said these are the first three arrests made in the case since it took over the investigation.
The accused were produced before the Special NIA Court in Shimla, and it sent Mahavir Kumar and Mehra to eight days of police custody, while Manpreet Singh was sent to judicial custody.
The NIA said further investigation is underway to identify and apprehend other individuals involved in the conspiracy and to ascertain the broader network behind the attack.
Officials added that efforts are continuing to uncover the full extent of the plot and establish the role of other suspects who may have been associated with the planning and execution of the IED explosion.
(IANS)
