A day after two Harkat-ul-Jehadi Islami (HuJI) terrorists involved in the November 23 serial blasts in Uttar Pradesh were arrested, the Special Task Force of the police shot dead two suspected Lashkar-e-Toiba militants on the outskirts of Lucknow on Sunday morning.
The militants, reported to be Pakistani nationals, were said to be on their move to attack a VVIP following the recovery of the map of the chief minister's residence and a suicide belt equipped with RDX.
The terrorists were coming from Nepal and their movement was intercepted by the STF through surveillance. The encounter took place when they were entering the state capital from bordering Barabanki district.
The militants opened fire on the STF team, raising slogans of 'LeT zindabad'. They were killed on the spot during the exchange of fire which took place at around 5.50 am.
A map of five Kalidas Marg, official residence of the chief minister, 10 hand grenades, 10 hand grenade fuse, a detonator, two AK-47 rifles, a suicide belt and battery used in it, six magazines and a number of cartridges were recovered from their possession, Additional Deputy General (STF) Brij Lal said.
The ADG neither confirmed nor denied reports that Chief Minister Mayawati was the target of the terrorists, but added that the map found with the terrorists was of the area around the chief minister's residence and had something written in Urdu.
On Saturday, two HuJI militants, involved in the November 23 serial blasts in three district courts of the state, which killed 13 people and wounded over 70, were arrested from the Barabanki railway station.
Though the state officials denied any possibility of a fidayeen attack, sources maintained that the suicide bombers were planning to target a particular VVIP, reported to be Chief Minister Mayawati.
According to the sources, the agency had intercepted certain telephonic conversations made from a city in UP to Pakistan involving the two militants belonging to the LeT.