Jammu and Kashmir police bust inter-state Lashkar-e-Taiba module

PTI

Srinagar

Police in Jammu and Kashmir has busted a “deep-rooted” inter-state Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) module and arrested five people, including a Pakistani terrorist who had been on the run for 16 years and successfully established bases outside the Union Territory, officials said on Tuesday.

Pakistani terrorist Abdullah, alias Abu Hureira, was captured on Monday along with another Pakistani national, Usman alias Khubaib, in a major operation that comes six months after the dismantling of a “white-collar” terror cell centred at Faridabad’s Al Falah University.

The operation, which began on March 31 and was monitored by Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat who camped in Srinagar, has unveiled the funding and financial pattern of the LeT, officials said.

The terrorists used forged documents and identities to create a network not just in Jammu and Kashmir, but in several other states, they added.

Over the last few days, Srinagar police along with police forces of other states and central agencies carried out searches at 19 locations across Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, and Haryana. The raids led to the recovery of a large cache of weapons, including four AK assault rifles, pistols, hand grenades, and electronic gadgets. According to officials, three Srinagar residents identified as Mohammad Naqeeb Bhat, Adil Rashid Bhat, and Ghulam Mohammad Mir alias Mama, were among the five arrested. They are accused of providing shelter, food and logistical support to the terrorists.

The two Pakistani terrorists are categorised as ‘A+’ grade militants and the officials said said they infiltrated India approximately 16 years ago and remained active across various districts of the Kashmir Valley, commanding around 40 foreign terrorists over the years, most of whom have since been neutralised, the officials said.

Forged documents with addresses from other states were recovered from Abdullah and Usman, indicating the use of false identities to facilitate movement outside the valley. Probe findings also suggest that one foreign terrorist managed to travel outside the country on a valid passport made from the forged documents.

More arrests could be in the offing with investigation in progress to identify additional associates, financiers, facilitators, safe houses and inter-state linkages, they said.

Incriminating material has been seized from several hideouts in various parts of Srinagar and other cities. These include three AK-47 rifles, one AK-Krinkov rifle, pistols, hand grenades, electronic equipment and gadgets, the officials said.

Besides, forged documents with addresses located in other states have also been recovered from Abdullah and Usman, indicating the use of false identities and possible facilitation channels outside Jammu and Kashmir.

The elaborate network began to unravel on March 31 when the first of the three Srinagar residents, Naqeeb Bhat, was arrested from Pandach area along with a pistol and other incriminating material.