New Delhi: Five persons suspected to have militant links and arrested after an encounter here were remaded for custodial interrogation of four days by a Delhi Court on Tuesday.
According to the police, Shabir Ahmad, Mohammad Ayub Pathan and Riyaz Rather were allegedly affiliated with militant organisation Hizbul Mujahideen while Gurjit Singh and Sukhdeep Singh were accused of being involved in the killing of Shaurya Chakra winner Balwinder Singh in Punjab.
“All the five were arrested on Monday after an encounter from Shakarpur locality in east Delhi,” police had said.
They were produced before Metropolitan Magistrate Sahil Khumri, who allowed their police custody till December 11.
The police had sought their remand for eight days saying it was required for further investigation in the case.
According to the police, Ahmad, Pathan and Riyaz were from Kashmir and they were allegedly “supplying money to the other two from Punjab to carry out targeted killings”.
The five have allegedly revealed “Pakistan spy agency ISI’s attempt to link Khalistani operatives with terror outfits in Kashmir,” police said.
Advocate Qausar Khan, appearing for the accused, said two of the accused have been charged under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and three have been booked under relevant sections of the Arms Act.
Police had said that Gurjit and Sukhdeep were allegedly involved in the killing Balwinder Singh who had received the Shaurya Chakra for fighting militancy. He was shot dead in October.
“Three pistols, two kilograms of heroin and Rs 1 lakh in cash were recovered from them along with the two cars in which they were travelling,” police had said.
Police claimed that preliminary investigation has revealed there was an alleged attempt by the ISI to link up militant outfits active in Kashmir with Khalistan operatives.
“It has emerged that Pak’s ISI along with Pakistan-based Khalistan radicals Harmeet Singh (chief of Khalistan Liberation Force) and Lakhbir Singh (chief of KZF-Khalistan Zindabad Force; based in Pakistan) in furtherance of their conspiracy to revive militancy in Punjab, have been using gangster Sukh Bhikhariwal for targeted killings,” police had alleged.
According to the police, the three Kashmir-based men were allegedly “supplying money to the other two to carry out targeted killings and the money was from the sales of drugs”.
“They were selling drugs and the proceeds were used for financing terror in Punjab,” they had claimed.
