Was lodged at Observation Home in RS Pura
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 21: In a major success towards working out Dhangri massacre of January 1, 2023 in Rajouri district, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has apprehended a juvenile for harbouring terrorists involved in the killings.
An official statement issued by the NIA today said the juvenile was incidentally lodged at Observation Home, R S Pura in Jammu in another case, registered at Police Station Gursai, Mendhar, in Poonch district.
He was taken into custody yesterday by the NIA and produced before the Juvenile Justice Board, Rajouri, for remand after his involvement in harbouring the terrorists involved in the killings of Dhangri civilians, surfaced during investigations into the case being carried out by the Agency.
The said terrorist attack had taken place on 1st January, 2023, and five persons belonging to the minority community were killed and several seriously injured. Next day, two more civilians were killed when an IED planted by the terrorists before fleeing exploded in the village taking toll to seven.
A case was initially registered as FIR No 01/2023 at PS Rajouri under Sections 302/ 307 /120-B/452/323 of IPC, Sections 13/16/18 of UA (P) Act 1967 and Sections 7/27 of Arms Act. NIA had taken over and re-registered the case on 13th January.
Investigations by the NIA had revealed that the apprehended juvenile, along with two other earlier arrested persons namely Nisar Ahmed alias Haji Nisar and Mushtaq Hussain alias Chacha, was involved in harbouring the terrorists who had carried out the horrendous attack.
Nisar Ahmed and Mushtaq Hussain were arrested by the NIA on 31st August 2023, and are presently lodged at Central Jail, Kot Bhalwal, Jammu.
The duo had provided logistic support to the terrorists for more than two months and had sheltered them in a hideout which they had constructed on the directions of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) handlers, namely Saifullah alias Sajid Jutt, Abu Qatal alias Qatal Sindhi and Mohammad Qasim.
A team of NIA officials had regularly camped in the hilly terrain of Rajouri, Poonch and Reasi districts of Jammu region in search of actual perpetrators of the offence during the course of investigations. The team examined a large number of suspicious entities and later zeroed in on the above accused persons who had provided logistic support to the terrorists.
Further investigations in the case are still under process, the NIA statement said.
On January 1 this year i.e. one year of the terror attack, family members of the victims had staged dharna at Dhangri demanding arrest/killing of terrorists involved in the massacre of seven civilians of minority community.
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