Srinagar: Three “militant associates” of Hizbul Mujahideen were arrested in connection with an attack on a BJP leader in Ganderbal district of central Kashmir last month, police said on Monday.
Militants had attacked BJP’s district vice president Ghulam Qadir at Nunner in the central Kashmir district on October 06. However, he survived the attack. A militant was killed on the spot in retaliatory fire, while a police constable, Mohammad Altaf, also lost his life, police had said.
Taking cognisance of the incident, police registered a case and investigations were taken up, a police official said.
He said during investigation, the involvement of a person identified as Qaiser Ahmad Sheikh, a resident of Serch area of the district and working as a hospital security guard, was revealed.
However, the official said, Sheikh tried to dodge the investigating officers upon questioning and technical details were sought through electronic surveillance unit which revealed some “startling facts”.
Sustained questioning of the subject revealed he was an active member of the HM and had been instrumental in the attack, the official said.
Accordingly, Sheikh was arrested and on his disclosure, a pistol, a pistol magazine with three rounds and some Pakistani flags were recovered by police, he said.
Sheikh also disclosed the names of two other militant associates — Hilal Ahmad Mir of Bernbugh Kangan working as ATM guard at SKIMS and Asif Ahmad Mir of Serch, a private security guard at SMHS, the official said, adding they too were arrested.
He said police recovered a Chinese pistol and ammunition, two detonators, Pakistani flags and other incriminating material at their instance.
“All the three had come in contact with militants in south Kashmir and were tasked to prepare a kill list of local political workers and attack them,” the official said, adding further investigation in the case is going on and more arrests are expected.
