*Group involved in wine shop attack
Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, May 19: Police today arrested four militants and their associate of the Falcon Squad module of The Resistance Front responsible for the grenade attack on a newly established wine shop in Baramulla earlier this week which left an employee dead and three others injured.
Addressing a press conference, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Baramulla Rayees Bhat said that during investigation various evidences at the scene of crime were assessed and analysed and some critical leads came to the fore including the grenade lever.
“CCTV footage from nearby cameras was also obtained which helped to reconstruct the sequence of events pre and post the incident, “he said.
“On the basis of human and technical intelligence, few suspects were picked up and interrogated. During sustained interrogation, a major breakthrough was achieved by arresting 4 militants and their one associate of the Falcon Squad module of LeT (TRF), ” he added.
The arrested militants have been identified as Shahid Showket Bala son of Showket Ahmad Bala of Banglowbagh, Safeer Ahmad Mir son of Gulam Nabi Mir of Mir Sahib old Town, Mohammad Maroof Soleh alias Adil son of Nazir Ahmad Soleh of Kanilbagh, Faisal Shaban Gojiri son of Mohammad Shaban Gojri of Chesti Colony, besides their associate Hatif Ahmad Sofi son of Bilal Ahmad Sofi of Arampora Baramulla was also arrested.
The top district police officer said that while conducting further investigation and disclosures made by them, various locations were raided and multiple recoveries including five pistols, 23 grenades, one suspicious package, seven magazines and 205 rounds of ammunition, besides one Bajaj Pulsar motorbike (JK05F-4822), used in the attack, were recovered.
He also said that the consignment of weapons and explosives was received by these militants few days before they carried out the attack on the wine shop.
“However, the same group has earlier been involved in various militant acts as was disclosed and brought out during the investigation which include last year’s grenade attacks in town Baramulla, various firing incidents in and around Baramulla, transportation of proscribed weapons and explosives, “he said.
“With the arrest of these militants and the recoveries made from them, Police solved a prime case of militant attack and along with Army 46RR, have succeeded in averting major attacks which they had been tasked to carry out by their handlers across the border, “the SSP said.
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