Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Aug 27: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police today arrested mastermind behind the assassination bid on Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Ali Mohammad Sagar, and over a dozen of attacks that took place in Srinagar city during past one-and-a-half year.
Manzoor Ahmad Chiloo, the brain behind the militant attacks in which he used two police men for execution of attacks was arrested this morning in a dramatic raid at his Restaurant, Haji Inn, in Rajbagh area of Srinagar.
Chiloo was evading arrest and had gone into hiding soon after the arrest of Constable Shigan last week. The SIT team laid a trap for him this morning by raiding his Restaurant and staged a mini-drama in which his staff was asked to call the owner of the hotel. As his staff called the owner of the hotel, they tracked his mobile which he was operating from Lal Chowk area. The SIT immediately raided Lal Chowk area where from he was arrested. He was straightway taken to Police Station Ram Munshibagh for questioning.
Manzoor Chiloo who hailed from Safakadal area of Srinagar, is a released militant who was allegedly involved in several militancy related cases in Kashmir before his name surfaced in the serial Srinagar attacks for which he used two policemen. He is considered to be history sheeter of Kashmir militancy and was even questioned by the National Investigation Team (NIT) last year for Pune blasts.
Chiloo’s name was disclosed by Abdul Rashid Shigan who was arrested by police last week from Srinagar after his name surfaced in the Srinagar attacks. After Shigan’s arrest one more policeman was arrested two days ago from Srinagar and he is also being questioned.
Sources said that the two cops were executing the attacks on behalf of Chiloo. Shigan and his accomplice were wearing red colour wind-sheeter in all the 13 attacks that they carried in Srinagar since 2011.
Abdul Rashid Shigan a constable of the armed police and posted with the security wing of the Police and a released militant, Imtiyaz Ahmad alias Raashid, were arrested last week from Srinagar.
Shigan was operating under the shadow name of Omar Mukhtar and General Usman. He was acting as spokesman for Kashmir Islamic Movement, believed to be a shadow outfit of Hizbul Mujahideen.
Shigan had a militancy background before he joined police force in 1998. He was an Over Ground Worker of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen. He was discharged from police department while undergoing training for his involvement in militant activities and detained under Public Safety Act for one year. He was reinstated on court orders in police department in 2002.
Shigan had been recently transferred to security wing of the police and was performing duty with SP Bandipora, Bashir Ahmad Khan at is house in Srinagar as a security guard.
IGP Kashmir, S M Sahai, said Shigan confessed carrying out 13 attacks in Srinagar since last year. They included attack on SHO Batamaloo, killing of Inspector Shabir Ahmad of Police Telecommunication, killing of ASI Sukhpal Singh, attack on NC Block President, attack Sagar, killing of NC worker at Batamaloo, attack on CRPF at Rainawari, UBGL attacks at Civil Secretariat and Tatoo Ground, attack on Peer Jalaludin and killing of Retired DySP Abdul Hamid Bhat.
It may be mentioned here that the attack on SHO Batamaloo was carried out on January 4 last year when he was travelling in his private vehicle and was seriously injured. Inspector Shabir Ahmad of Police Telecom was fired upon and injured at Iqbalabad Bemina at his residence on June 29 last year and he later succumbed to his injuries. ASI Sukhpal Singh of Police Post Bagiyas was fired upon and critically injured while on duty near Darishkadal Chattabal, in old city area of Srinagar on April 20 this year. He later succumbed to his injuries. An NC Block President Ghulam Mohammad Lone was fired and injured at Safakadal last year on December 2. An assassination bid was carried out on Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Ali Mohammad Sagar, on December 11 last year. An NC activist Bashir Ahmad was fired upon and killed near Dhobi Mohalla Batamaloo on December 24 last year.
On March 17 this year Peer Jalaludin of Sheikh Dawood Khadmat Khalak Trust was attacked. An attack was carried out on vehicle of 32 batallion of CRPF carrying troops near Victory crossing Rainawari in Srinagar resulting in the injuries to 7 CRPF personnel on May 30 this year. Four Rifle grenades were fired towards Tattoo ground on June 28 this year, a rifle grenade was fired on Civil Secretariat on July 18 and on August 10 this year a retired DySP Abdul Hameed Bhat was fired and killed in near Tangpoara, Batamaloo.
Police during the raid on Shigan’s house recovered two AK-47 Rifles, one Kiran Kove Rifle, four Chinese Pistols, two UBGL throwers besides large quantity of ammunition. A cell phone that he used to call a local news agency for claiming killing of a retired DySP Abdul Hamid Bhat was also recovered.
Sources said that the call that Shigan made to a local news agency trapped him as police traced the call and the number and ultimately they reached Shigan whom they arrested last Monday.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel