‘Radicalising, recruitment, motivating case against TRF’
Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Apr 7: The National Investigation Agency conducted searches at nearly a dozen places linked to The Resistance Front (TRF) terror group in Jammu and Kashmir today, days after it announced cash rewards of Rs 10 lakh each on information leading to the arrest of its four cadres
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The searches were conducted at 11 locations with six in Srinagar district, two in Baramulla district and one each in Awantipora, Budgam and Kulgam districts.
A statement issued by the NIA said that the case relates to activities of TRF, a frontal outfit of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and it’s self-styled commander Sajjad Gul, who has been actively radicalising, motivating and recruiting youth of J&K to affect violent activities.
“He along with his other associate commanders of LeT based in Pakistan, has been recruiting individuals (Over Ground Workers) to do reconnaissance of pre-determined targets, coordinating and transporting weapons to support LeT and TRF,” the statement added.
The NIA said that during the searches conducted today, various incriminating materials such as digital devices, SIM cards, digital storage devices, documents etc, have been seized.
The locations searched include the house of active militant Basit Ahmad Dar against whom NIA has recently announced a reward of Rs 10 lakhs.
An NIA team along with police and CRPF raided the house of Arsalan Feroz Ahanger, 19, son of Feroz Ahmed Ahanger of Zaldagar who was a student and parttime mechanic. His house was searched and some documents were seized from there. Ahanger is NIA custody since December 2021.
They also raided the house of Sameer Ahmad Ganie, 23, son of Mohammad Yaqoob of Bonapora Nowgam in Srinagar and seized some documents. Gania is a salesman at an interior shop in Srinagar.
The NIA also raided the house of Ajaz Ahmad and Dar Mohd Akbar Dar, sons of Abdul Samad Dar of Mustafabad, Zainakote in Srinagar and seized some documents pertaining to the case from the house.
They also raided the house of one Mohammad Maqbool Bhat, son of Ghulam Mohammad Bhat of Alnoor Colony Chanapora. Bhat is a retired Government employees and the sleuths seized documents from the house.
The raid was also carried out at the house of Zahir Bashir Bhat, son of Bashir Ahmad Bhat of Bank Colony Baghi Mehtab. Bhat has shawl business and some incriminating documents were recovered from his house.
The NIA raided the house of former Hurriyat Conference activist, Ghulam Nabi Najjar, son of Asadullah Najjar of Hariwatnu Tangmarg in Baramulla district early today. He was detained and some documents were also seized from his residence.
It may be mentioned here that the NIA last month announced a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh each on four wanted militant commanders of TRF who are wanted in the case.
The cash reward was declared against Pakistani nationals Saleem Rehmani alias Abu Saad of Nawab Shah, Sindh and Saifullah Sajid Jatt of Shangamanga in Kasur and their local associates Sajjad Gul of Srinagar and Basit Ahmad Dar of Redwani Payeen in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district.
Basit is in Kashmir while others are operating from Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Basit is also wanted by Police as well and through posters circulated in January this year they kept a bounty of Rs 12.5 lakh for information leading to his arrest.
In October last year the NIA sleuths raided the house of Dr Ghulam Mohammad Sheikh of Rose Avenue Zainakote in Srinagar, who is father of TRF commander Sajjad Gul.
In the meantime, NIA filed supplementary chargesheet against 2 accused in the case of Interception of Nadeem-Ul-Haq with IED in J&K (RC-04/2021/NIA/JMU).
The NIA filed supplementary chargesheet against two accused persons – Fayaz Ahmed Khan, son of Mohammad Afzal Khan of village Panzat, Wampoora in Qazigund, Anantnag and Tawseef Ahmed Wani, son of Mohammad Maqbool Wani of village Bangdara, Reshipora, in Baramaula distrct under Section 120B of Indian Penal Code and sections 13, 18, 38 & 39 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 in RC 04/2021/NIA /JMU in the NIA Special Court Jammu. The case was initially registered as FIR No. 234/ 2021 at PS Bahu Fort, Jammu and taken over by NIA on 19.07.2021.
The case pertains to recovery of an IED from accused Nadeemul Haq from Bhatindi, Jammu, who on behest of his Pakistan based handlers of TRF had attempted to execute an IED explosion in a public place in Jammu area.
“Investigation has unearthed a larger conspiracy hatched by the Pakistani handlers of TRF, involved in recruitment and planning to activate a significant number of radicalized youth through social media platforms to target security personnel and public places with an intention to wage war against government of India. A Chargesheet was earlier filed by NIA against 3 accused persons on 22.12.2021”, a statement issued by the NIA said.
It said that the investigation has established that accused persons are members of TRF, who in connivance with their Pakistani handlers of TRF were involved in spreading the subversive activities in Jammu and Kashmir.
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