Nalagarh blast: NIA arrests three more, total count reaches six

The NIA arrested three more accused in the Nalagarh Police Station IED blast case, raising the total arrests to six. The blast occurred on Jan 1, 2026. The NIA re-registered the case under BNS, the Explosive Substances Act, and UAPA.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested three more accused in connection with the IED blast at Nalagarh Police Station in Himachal Pradesh on January 1, 2026, taking the total number of arrests in the case to six.

The high-intensity blast took place at approximately 9:40 AM near the outer wall adjoining an investigating officer's room within the police station premises.

Following initial proceedings by the Himachal Pradesh Police, the NIA officially took over the probe and re-registered the case on May 8 under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Explosive Substances Act, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

Details of the Accused and Arrests

Mahavir Kumar alias Kaka, Ajay Mehra and Manpreet Singh alias Mani were the first three accused arrested by the NIA in the case. They were produced before the Special NIA Court in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh.

Mahavir Kumar and Ajay Mehra have been remanded to eight days of police custody, while Manpreet Singh has been sent to judicial custody.

Investigation Taken Over by NIA

The case was initially registered at Nalagarh Police Station after the IED explosion around 9:40 am on January 1. The investigation was later taken over by the NIA, which re-registered the case on May 8 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.

During the investigation, the involvement of Mahavir Kumar, Ajay Mehra and Manpreet Singh came to light, following which the NIA arrested them as part of efforts to unravel the larger conspiracy behind the terror act.

The anti-terror agency said further investigation is underway to identify and apprehend other persons involved in the conspiracy and to ascertain the larger network behind the attack.

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