Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, June 19: Police and Intelligence agencies have come across a major terror network, which could have presence in Civil Secretariat, the seat of the Government and the Government quarters for the Secretariat employees at Subash Nagar, Jammu among other areas, some of which were in the process of identification, as it has surfaced that one of the Government quarter was to be used as major hideout of the militants for carrying out a fidayeen attack in Jammu.
Top police and Intelligence sources told the Excelsior tonight that one of the Government Quarter having No. 404 at Subash Nagar, falling under the jurisdiction of Bakshi Nagar police station, was raided tonight in a joint search operation by Intelligence sleuths and police parties of Udhampur and Bakshi Nagar, which had to be used by the militants as a hideout for planning and executing the terror attack in Jammu.
“The Government quarter has been sealed after searches and recovery of an ATM card for further investigations,” they said.
Hectic investigations by the State Intelligence agencies and police to find out the target of slain militant Tanvir Ahmad Sultan son of Mohammad Sultan, a resident of Bemina, Srinagar, who was killed at Kud on June 13, revealed that the mobile telephone used by the militant (Tanvir) till May 22, a day before terror attack at Tengpora, Srinagar, was active in Jammu for at least three months taking signals from a mobile tower around Subash Nagar during last winter.
As the Intelligence sleuths went further into the attack, they gathered clues that Tanvir Sultan had stayed around Subash Nagar for three months of the winter, when the Civil Secretariat, was in Jammu.
The joint teams of Intelligence and police then traced a key in the pocket of Tanvir Ahmad Sultan, which they seized. Investigators also established that Tanvir Sultan’s brother, Khurshid Ahmad is a Civil Secretariat employee and had been allotted Quarter No. 404 at Government Quarters at Subash Nagar.
The key found in possession of Tanvir Ahmad Sultan managed to open the lock of Quarter No. 404 at Subash Nagar, giving clear hints to Intelligence agencies and police that Khurshid Ahmad, a Civil Secretariat employee, presently in Srinagar, could be in-league with his brother and had given keys of his official quarter to him for camping there.
Intelligence agencies and police have sounded their Srinagar counterparts on the involvement of Khurshid Ahmad in giving keys of his Government quarter to Tanvir Ahmad Sultan. Police said they were keeping watch on Khurshid but in view of mourning in the family, he hasn’t been detained yet.
Tanvir Sultan, according to sources, had to reach Jammu and keep AK-47 rifle, pistol and 80 rounds, which were recovered from his possession after he was killed in an encounter at Kud on June 13, in the Government Quarter at Subash Nagar and create a militant hideout there, which was evident from the recovery of key from his pocket, which opened the lock of Quarter No. 404.
Sources didn’t rule out dumping of some more weapons in the Government quarter before the militants carried out a terror attack in Jammu.
Tanvir had stayed in the official quarter of his brother Khurshid Ahmad for three months during the winter and was well-versed with the area. Sources said Khurshid Ahmad was also staying in the same quarter, which has been authenticated by one of the local person, who knew Khurshid and used to have telephonic conversation with him on local shopping.
They added that since Khurshid Ahmad was well aware about the past of his brother Tanvir Sultan, who was involved in two fidayeen attack and had served PSA, he not only gave the keys of his official resident to Tanvir knowing his past but also allowed him full access to his quarter, which was evident from recovery of the quarter’s key from the pocket of slain Tanvir Ahmad Sultan.
“The Government quarter would have become potential hideout of the militants and used to carry out terror attack in Jammu,” sources said pointing to the investigations into the Kud encounter.
However, alert CRPF and police personnel trapped Tanvir Sultan at Kud and gunned him down after he opened firing on them and passengers of the SRTC bus in which he was travelling from Srinagar to Jammu on June 13.
They added that whether Khurshid Ahmad was fully aware of his brother, Tanvir Sultan’s activities or not, would be known during further investigations but going by Tanvir’s past, which was known to all, his role has come under scrutiny of Intelligence agencies and police as the Government quarter allotted to him was going to become a potential hideout of the militants.
Tanvir’s involvement is also suspected in the killing of a police constable at Tengpora, Srinagar on May 23 as the weapon snatched from the cop after the killing was the same Tanvir used in firing at Kud. Moreover, Tanvir’s mobile phone had switched off on May 22 and was not found on since then.
The investigators were also working on the theory as to whether Tanvir Sultan was involved in more terror attacks after re-cycling into the militancy other than Tengpora and Kud.
His first involvement in the militancy had surfaced in 2003 when he had carried out fidayeen attack at Ali Jan Shopping Complex in Srinagar. He had been booked under FIR No. 145/2003 in which total 22 persons were accused.
He had carried out second attack at Pamposh Hotel in which there were 14 accused including him and all of them were booked under FIR No. 127/2002.
He was later booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA) in 2004. From 2004 to Tengpora attack, Tanvir Sultan hadn’t figured in any militant attack.
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