Jaish operatives travelled from Valley to take consignment
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 18: After suspected infiltration from tunnels dug on the International Border, police have come across a plot of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) outfit who had picked up consignment of arms, ammunition and explosives which was dropped through drone in Vijaypur sector of Samba district from Pakistan and was being taken to the Kashmir valley by two militants of the outfit.
Both the militants have been arrested between Batote and Ramban stretch of the National Highway.
A police spokesman identified the arrested militants as Umar Ahmed Malik son of Abdul Ahmed Malik and Suhail Ahmed Malik son of Mohammad Yaseen Malik, both residents of village Semthan in Bijbehara area of Anantnag district, affiliated with Jaish-e-Mohammed outfit.
Reliable sources told the Excelsior that consignment of the weaponry had been dropped by the Pakistani Rangers using a drone at the International Border somewhere in Vijaypur sector of Samba district. Jaish-e-Mohammed handler Aqib alias Alfa operating in Budgam had asked the two arrested operatives of the outfit to pick up the consignment from the International Border in Vijaypur sector.
As the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was closed, the Jaish militants reached Ramban from Anantnag in a commercial vehicle and then crossed blocked stretch on foot. Again, they used a commercial vehicle to reach Vijaypur.
After picking up the consignment of weapons from the International Border, the militants changed two vehicles on their way to Kashmir but were intercepted by a joint team of police and Special Operations Group (SOG) Jammu between Batote and Ramban stretch of the National Highway in Ramban district and were arrested along with weaponry.
They were subjected to questioning during which they revealed entire plot of the Jaish-e-Mohammed outfit.
Recoveries made from their possession include two AK-74 rifles, one pistol, 16 grenades, nine AK magazines, 269 live pistol bullets and two magazines.
“Arrested militants will be taken to the International Border shortly to identify the spot from where they picked up the consignment of arms and ammunition, which had been dropped by the Pakistani Rangers through a drone,’’ sources said, adding it was yet to be ascertained whether the militants had been helped by some locals in locating the spot of weapons dropping or they traced it on their own with the help of some maps.
“Every aspect is part of investigation including number of vehicles used by the militants in reaching Kashmir to Vijaypur and on way back to the Valley. Initial reports suggest that they had used at least four vehicles,’’ sources said, adding that registration numbers of the vehicles are being ascertained to trace them.
Arrested Jaish militants have, however, confirmed that they had to deliver the consignment of weapons to Aqib alias Alfa at a hideout in Budgam district of Kashmir after return. The place of meeting had to be decided on telephone, sources said.
During past few days, police in Jammu region have busted various terror modules in Jammu, Poonch and Reasi districts and arrested number of militants and Over Ground Workers of Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jammu and Kashmir Janbaaz Force outfits.
Eight militants have been attested in Poonch, three in Jammu and one in Reasi district so far. The militants arrested in Poonch were planning to target religious places across the district to foment communal trouble.
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