Three suspected terrorists allegedly affiliated with the terror organisation Islamic State of Jammu & Kashmir (ISJK), an ISIS inspired module were arrested on Saturday in a joint operation by the Delhi Police Special Cell with Jammu and Kashmir Police from Tourist Reception Center, Srinagar.
Their interrogation revealed that ISJK was planning a major terrorist strike in the national Capital. Delhi Police, Jammu & Kashmir Police and Punjab Police were working inn tandem after they were alerted by the security agencies about terrorist outfits active in the Kahsmir Valley planning to target New Delhi and other areas, sources said.
The Punjab Police was already on alert after its counter-intelligence wing suggested that six to seven Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists “could be moving towards Delhi” from the Valley.
Police recovered two loaded pistols and three hand grenades with their arrest. An underground hideout in the middle of an apple orchard in Awantipora belonging to the ISJK was uncovered and half a dozen over ground workers (OGW) were also detained, police said.
The three active terrorists were identified as Haris Mushtaq Khan (24), who was a graduate in arts from Jamia Milia Islamic University in Delhi and is currently pursuing his Masters degree, Tahir Ali Khan (23), and Asif Suhail Nadaf (22).
“On September 6 this year, two militant of ISIS inspired module of J&K namely Parvaiz Rashid Lone and Jamsheed Zahoor Paulwere arrested by Special Cell near Red fort, New Delhi along with arms and ammunitions. Following which, information was received about the ISJK terrorists in Srinagar,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Pramod Singh Kushwah stated.
“Based on specific input, a trap was laid near Tourist reception centre in Srinagar led by Inspector Satish Rana, Sunil Rajain & Ravinder Joshi to nab the three terrorists,” said the DCP.
“The active terrorists came fully loaded with three grenades and two loaded sophisticated pistols on a bike. The swiftness of Police team in identification of militants averted a grenade blast in the heart of Srinagar and it also resulted in the arrest of three active militants. Arresting active and alive militants in Srinagar is a precious catch as they carry a plethora of valuable information about their hideouts, weapons, and future planning,” DCP added. “In this operation one underground hideout frequented by ISJK members was also busted at the sprawling apple orchard at Awantipora, Jammu and Kashmir by Army after an overnight operation. Half a dozen OGWs were picked up for questioning,” he said.
Police revealed that the organization ISJK has been involved in several cases of attack in Jammu and Kashmir. In July, 2018 three security personnel were reportedly injured in a grenade attack carried out by the module in Anantnag district. In November 2017, in an encounter, a sub-inspector was killed in the shoot-out and on September 9 this year, a civilian Ahad Ahmed believed to be a police informer was killed.
It may be recalled that after Dawood Sofi, the social media-savvy head of the ISJK, was eliminated in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir’, the then Director General of Police (DGP) SP Vaid had said that “as such there is no infrastructure of Islamic state or something like (in the Valley) but these days people do get influenced by radical material available online”.
