Jaish-e-Mohammed terror module busted, four held: Jammu and Kashmir police

Police on Wednesday claimed to have busted a module of terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) by arresting four men, who were allegedly planning to carry out a car-bomb attack on security forces in Kashmir’s Pampore. “Jaish wanted to carry out a car-bomb attack and the Awantipora police was tracking this module. We have arrested four persons in this regard and have also seized the car that was to be used in carrying out the attack,” Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir zone, Vijay Kumar told reporters here.

He said JeM had motivated Sahil Nazir, a BA first-year student, through Telegram and other mobile messaging applications to procure a second-hand car for carrying out the attack.

“Using technical as well as human intelligence, police nabbed Sahil, who revealed the plot about the car-bomb attack. Kaiser, Younis and Yasir Ahmad Wani, who were involved in hatching the plot, have also been arrested,” Kumar said, adding that the car was seized from the house of Younis.

The IGP said Sahil has confessed to his involvement in the plot and also admitted that he had thrown a grenade at security forces in the Pampore area of Pulwama district on January 25.

Kumar said the police have also arrested an overground worker (OGW) of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) and seized 25 kilograms of explosives from his house in Pampore.

“On the instructions of Omar Khanday, who joined the militant ranks last year, the LeT had planned to carry out a fidayeen (suicide) attack or an IED blast at the municipal committee building in Pampore,” he added.

On the killing of Al-Badr chief Abdul Gani Khawaja in Baramulla district on Tuesday, the IGP said it was a “clean” operation with no collateral damage.

“It is a major success for security forces. Abdul Gani had joined militancy in 2001 and was arrested in 2007. He was released in 2008 and worked as an OGW till 2018. He became active again in 2018,” he said.

Kumar said the slain militant parted ways with Hizbul Mujahideen and worked to reactivate Al-Badr on instructions from Pakistan.

“He was involved in recruiting new militants for Al-Badr in Kashmir while receiving groups from across the Line of Control (LoC). He was a very big commander,” the officer said.