Jammu: The National Investigation Agency Saturday arrested a Lashker-e-Mustafa (LeM) militant as it conducted raids at 15 locations across Jammu and Kashmir in connection with two terror-related cases including the recent recovery of a drone-dropped IED from Pakistan, officials said.
A large quantity of incriminating material including digital devices, shells of used bullets, plastic face masks that guard stone-pelting and handwritten jihadi material were also recovered during the raids, they said.
“The LeM, working at the behest of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) outfit, was declared wiped out in February with the arrest of its self-styled chief Hidayatullah Malik and his associate Nazir Ahmad from Jammu, both residents of Shopian district,” officials said.
“They were trying to set up a base to receive Pakistani terrorists and arms and ammunition from across the border,” they added.
“The NIA along with J&K police and CRPF conducted searches at nine locations in Shopian, Anantnag and Jammu districts in connection with the case related to the LeM. Subsequent to searches, one accused person — Irfan Ahmed Dar of Batingoo (Anantnag) was arrested,” a spokesperson of the agency said.
The NIA said the preliminary investigation “has revealed that he was involved in the conspiracy to carry out terrorist activities in collusion with other arrested accused”.
The case was initially registered at Gangyal Police Station in Jammu relating to a “conspiracy by the LeM to carry out terrorist activities in J&K with an intention to threaten the sovereignty, integrity and security of India,” the spokesperson said.
The NIA had re-registered the case on March 02 and taken over the investigation, he added.
During the searches, the NIA said many digital devices including mobile phones, hard disks, memory cards, pen drives, laptops, besides booklets containing incriminating material were recovered from the premises of the arrested accused and the suspects in the case.
About the searches at six other locations, the spokesperson said they were carried out in connection with the recovery of an IED in Bathindi area of Jammu on June 27 — the day two bombs were dropped on the Indian Air Force (IAF) station in Jammu using drones, resulting in injuries to two personnel.
The searches were carried out at six locations of the arrested accused and suspected persons in Shopian and Ramban districts, the NIA said.
It said the case was initially registered on June 27 at Police Station Bahu Fort in Jammu relating to recovery of 5 kgs IED “from a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist”.
“It was a conspiracy by LeT to cause an explosion in Jammu using the IED. The NIA had re-registered the case one July 19 and took over the investigation,” the spokesperson said.
“During the searches, many digital devices including mobile phones, pen drives, shells of used bullets, CDs, plastic face masks that are used as a shield during stone pelting, memory cards, handwritten jehadi material, ID card of Al-aqsa media and other incriminating materials have been recovered,” the NIA said.
