Reached Nepal from Pak, were on way to J&K
Planned to carry out terror attacks during LS polls
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 4: Three terrorists including two hailing from Pakistan and one from the Kashmir valley have been arrested in Uttar Pradesh after they crossed the border from Nepal and were on way to Jammu and Kashmir for subversive activities during Parliamentary elections.
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The terrorists reached Nepal from Pakistan with the help of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and crossed into Uttar Pradesh from Gorakhpur border. They had to reach Jammu and Kashmir to carry out terror attacks after getting weapons to be dropped through drones from across the border, sources told the Excelsior.
Arrested terrorists, who were affiliated with Hizbul Mujahideen, have been identified as Mohammad Altaf Bhat son of Khizar Mohammad Bhat, a resident of Sadiqabad, Rawalpindi and Syed Ghazanfar son of Syed Mohammad Syed R/o Taramani Chowk Irfanabad, near Jamia Ali Murtaza Masjid, Islamabad, both Pakistanis and Nasir Ali son of Ghulam Ahmed Ali, a resident of Karalipora in Hawal area of Srinagar.
Their arrests came during the process of ongoing Lok Sabha elections in the country including Jammu and Kashmir.
As per the preliminary reports, the terrorists had to reach Jammu and Kashmir from Uttar Pradesh and then carry out the terror attacks during the Parliamentary elections. They were briefed by the Pakistani agencies that they will be delivered weapons by the Over Ground Workers (OGWs) of Hizbul Mujahideen for terror attacks.
All three terrorists were trained in different camps of Hizbul Mujahideen by the Pakistan army and ISI officers at certain secret locations in Pakistan.
As per the sources, there were Intelligence inputs for sometime about Pakistani terrorists trying to enter India through the Indo-Nepal border with the help of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Acting on the information the Gorakhpur unit of ATS arrested the terrorists, they said.
“During initial interrogation Altaf Butt told the ATS that he was born in Jammu and Kashmir and after the Kargil war he went to Pakistan with a Hizbul Mujahideen militant to train for Jihad,” he said.
Altaf also told the ATS that he always wanted Kashmir to be a part of Pakistan.
“He took arms training at Hizbul camp and worked under the directives of its commanders for a long time. Altaf was told by the commanders of HM to secretly reach Jammu and Kashmir in India via Nepal where he would be provided further directions,” the sources said.
They added that Altaf met Nasir in Kathmandu as told by the ISI handler.
It was Nasir who provided fake Indian Aadhaar cards to Altaf and Gazanffar and told them the route to enter India via Farenda village. Nasir came in contact of Saleem from ISI through WhatsApp.
“It was Saleem who told Nasir that he is sending two persons, including his uncle Gazanffar, from Pakistan who will meet him in Kathmandu and he was to take them to Jammu and Kashmir,” the sources said, adding that two mobile phones, one memory card, two passports (for both Pakistanis), seven debit/credit cards, three Aadhar cards, two flight tickets, one Pakistani driving license, two Pakistani ID cards and foreign currency, including US dollars were recovered from those arrested.
The spokesman said that a case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Foreigners Act has been registered against the accused at ATS police station in Lucknow and they will be produced before the court.
It was not immediately known whether the Jammu and Kashmir Police will seek their custody for interrogation after completion of investigations by the UP ATS. However, the Uttar Pradesh ATS is expected to brief Jammu and Kashmir Police in detail about disclosures made by the trio during interrogation.
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