5 terror associates held as police bust module behind IED smuggling in J&K’s Poonch

Jammu, October 7

Police on Friday said a module behind the smuggling of an improvised explosive device (IED) and a huge quantity of narcotics was busted with the arrest of five terror-associates in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district.

Besides the IED, 6 kg of suspected heroin worth crores of rupees in the international market and a pistol were seized from the possession of the accused, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Poonch, Rohit Baskotra said.

He said the IED was smuggled from across the Line of Control (LoC) and recovered from Zaitoona Akhter (35), a resident of Qasba, by a joint team of police and security forces, thus thwarting an attempt of terrorists to carry out an explosion.

The woman was apprehended and a case under the relevant sections of the Explosive Substances Act lodged, the SSP told reporters.

He said the woman revealed that her husband, Mohammad Azad, gave the IED to her and accordingly, he was picked up and subjected to sustained questioning, leading to the busting of the module.

Azad’s maternal uncle Bashir Ahmad alias Tika Khan, who is associated with the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen terror groups across the border, had sent the IED for subversive activities and it was received by Azad and Qamardin.

Both Azad and Qamardin, a resident of Kirni, were in touch with their relatives in Pakistan who are involved in terror activities, Baskotra said, adding that two brothers of Qamardin—Najim Din alias Naja and Latief—are living in the Mangbajri camp in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and are associates of Tika Khan.

On the disclosure of Qamardin, a pistol, two magazines and 43 rounds were recovered from Kirni, the officer said.

Two more people, Wajahat Khan and Kamal Din of Kirni, who were aiding them in carrying and transporting the consignment to Poonch, were also arrested, he added.

The SSP said Qamardin was arrested along with his associate Sajad Ahmad of Pawan-Qasba during a chance operation in Qasba village on Tuesday. A heroin-like substance, weighing more than six kg, was seized from their possession.

During routine patrolling, the police noticed two people acting suspiciously. They were overpowered after a brief chase. It later turned out that one of them was Qamardin, who was wanted in the IED recovery case, the SSP said.

He said sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) were added to the FIR following the recovery of the IED.

In addition, Qamardin and Sajad Ahmad were also booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the SSP said.

He said the accused are involved in subversive activities and are the main handlers behind the smuggling of explosive material and narcotics into the Indian side.

Responding to a question on the target of the IED, the senior official said the “enemy nation” always tries to disturb peace in Jammu and Kashmir.

“Police and security agencies are fully alert to the threat and our alertness and synergy are not allowing them to succeed,” he said.