NIA attaches properties of two Lashkar operatives involved in ’18 Srinagar attack

Srinagar, November 14

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday intensified its crackdown on terrorist networks in Kashmir, attaching eight properties linked to two prominent Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) operatives in Pulwama. The move is a significant development in connection with the 2018 incident that led to the escape of LeT militant Naveed Jatt.

The properties of Muhammad Shafi Wani and Muhammad Tikka Khan, both residents of Singoo Narbal, Pulwama, have been attached under Section 33 (1) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, following recent orders from the NIA Special Court in Jammu, the NIA said.

Of the eight attached properties, five are owned by Wani and three by Khan.

The case involved the killing of two Jammu and Kashmir Police personnel during firing on a police party escorting Jatt, alias Abu Hanzla, to Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital Srinagar Hospital, Srinagar, for a medical examination on February 6, 2018.

Jatt, a terrorist of Pakistani origin, escaped after the two accused attacked the police escort on orders from their Pakistan-based LeT commanders. He was later killed in an encounter with security forces in 2018.

Immovable properties, including various plots and a residential house owned by Wani, identified as an overground worker of the LeT, were among those attached.

On February 8, 2018, the NIA had arrested both Wani and Khan from their Pulwama houses. On August 3, 2018, they were charged for possessing weapons. They currently face trial before the NIA Special Court in Jammu.

In a statement, the agency said, “Going full throttle against terrorist organisations operating in Kashmir, the NIA attached the properties of two key LeT operatives in the 2018 case relating to the forcible release of a terrorist through a fatal attack on a police party at a Srinagar hospital.”