Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 18: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) today arrested a harbourer and logistics provider of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen in Kishtwar while security forces recovered large quantity of arms and ammunition in Reasi.
The militant arrested by NIA has been identified as Taraq Hussain Giri son of Ghulam Hassan Giri, a resident of Pachhal Kishtwar.
He was involved in snatching of service rifle from PSO of former District Magistrate Kishtwar.
He was also wanted in providing logistic support to Hizbul Mujahideen militants Osama bin Javed and Haroon Abba Wani in March 2019. The incident of weapon snatching was among four major terror acts committed by the Hizbul Mujahideen from November 2018 to September 2019 in Kishtwar.
The accused was produced before the Special NIA Court Jammu and taken on police remand for five days for questioning.
Meanwhile, security forces have recovered a huge cache of weapons from a remote forest in Reasi district.
The recovery included an AK 47 rifle with one sealed box of ammunition, one Self-Loading Rifle (SLR), one 303 bolt rifle and two Chinese pistols with magazines and ammunition, a police spokesman said.
The search operation was carried out by the Army and police in Makkhidhar forest area, the spokesman said.
He said the recovery is the outcome of ongoing efforts of police and the Army to thwart and demolish any attempts to destabilise peace and development south of Pir Panjal ranges in Jammu region.
Acting on an input, the spokesman said Army and police carried out the operation during the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday and effected the recovery of the arms and ammunition smuggled from across the border.
“These war-like stores were spread over a large area in remote, uninhabited forests of Makkhidhar. Persistent and coordinated efforts of joint search by Army and police duly supported by local intelligence units has led to successfully unearthing the huge cache of weapons and war-like stores,” he said.
He added that the militants are facing acute shortage of weapons and are desperate to disrupt peace and development being embraced by the people of the region after successful District Development Council (DDC) elections in November-December last year.
Reasi district had recorded the highest polling percentage of more than 80 percent during the elections, setting a record for the country.
The people of Jammu and Kashmir have seen through the sinister design and narrative of Pakistan and disrupt growth and development being embraced by the youth of Jammu and Kashmir, he said.
The latest recovery comes a few days after police recovered a war-like store in Jammu bus stand and Samba district. While a powerful IED was recovered near the bus stand, a consignment including six pistols and 15 IEDs were recovered from Samba district last week.
“Pakistan is continuously trying to push terrorists into this side of the border. In past few months the close coordination and synergy among Army, police and intelligence agencies have successfully unearthed several caches of war-like stores and broken network of over ground workers of Pakistan-sponsored terrorists of LeT and Hizbul Mujahideen in the hinterlands south of Pir Panjal Ranges,” the spokesman said.
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