Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 12: Police today arrested three persons including a former militant red handed while speaking to his bosses in Pakistan using SIM card of a Pakistan telecom company Zhang on Mandi-Poonch road. The SIM card has been seized to extract data from it, which could provide vital information to the cops on the calls.
A police party from Poonch on a specific information intercepted a TATA Sumo No. 1280 JK12 on Mandi-Poonch road this morning and arrested three persons including the one, who had been talking to Pakistan from his mobile telephone using a Pakistani SIM card, smuggled from across the border.
The arrested persons have been identified as Mohammad Azam son of Mohammad Akbar, Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din son of Ahmeda, both residents of Sabjian and Mumtaz Ahmad son of Ghulam Mohammad R/o Mandi.
SSP Poonch Shamsheer Hussain said the trio was traveling in the TATA Sumo from Mandi to Poonch when police apprehended them.
At the time of arrest, police recovered Pakistan telecom company Zhang’s SIM card and a mobile handset from the possession of Mohammad Azam, who was speaking to his “bosses”, reportedly in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) from the SIM card while traveling in TATA Sumo.
Police parties headed by Additional SP Poonch Yougal Manhas made the arrests.
All three accused were immediately shifted to a safer location for sustained interrogation to ascertain the source of Pakistani SIM card and the persons he was speaking in PoK. His questioning was likely to give some vital clues about links of Pakistani militants in Poonch, police said, adding involvement of two other persons accompanying him was also being ascertained.
Pakistan had raised towers of almost all mobile telecom companies close to the Line of Control (LoC) on their side to ensure that the areas close to the LoC in twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri received signals on this side to help militants and Over Ground Workers (OGWs) speaking across the LoC.
It may be mentioned here that the ISD calls from Jammu and Kashmir to Pakistan and PoK are barred in view of security considerations. Pakistan agencies have devised new method of helping militants and OGWs to call to their mentors in Pakistan and PoK by supplying them Pakistani SIM cards through their couriers on the LoC or using other methods of smuggling.
Earlier also, security forces and police have seized a number of SIM cards of Pakistan from the possession of militants and OGWs besides the travelers of cross-LoC bus service of Poonch-Rawlakote route.
Police said Mohammad Azam had earlier also been arrested in the year 2010 under the Arms Act.
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