New Delhi: The Delhi Police’s Special Cell has detained two more people in connection with the Parliament security breach on Wednesday involving two intruders, who jumped into Lok Sabha from the visitors’ gallery and sprayed smoke in a major security breach. The intrusion on the anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attack on Parliament sparked questions about laxity in security.
The two identified by their first names, Mahesh and Kailash, were detained after Lalit Jha, 35, a resident of Kolkata, the fifth accused in the case described as a co-conspirator, surrendered to police late on Thursday.
A police officer said Mahesh accompanied Jha and that they were handed over to the Special Cell, which is investigating the case. He added that Jha was arrested while Mahesh was detained for questioning. Kailash’s role came forth during their questioning and he too was detained.
Police said Jha travelled to Rajasthan by bus, where he is suspected to have destroyed mobile phones before returning to Delhi. He claimed to have stayed with Mahesh in Rajasthan even as police were verifying his version.
Jha and Mahesh were associated through the Bhagat Singh Fan Club, a social media group the accused were part of.
Investigators cited preliminary questioning and said Mahesh also wanted to be a part of the “protest” in Parliament but could not make it. “Everything that is being told to police was being verified,” the officer said.
Four of the accused arrested earlier in the case, Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D, who cleared three layers of security before jumping from the visitors’ gallery and spraying coloured smoke inside the Lok Sabha, and Amol Shinde and Neelam Singh, who shouted slogans outside Parliament, were remanded to police custody for seven days on Thursday.
