Another nabbed in Varanasi for Kashmir links
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Nov 28: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has unearthed major Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) plot hatched by associates of recently released terrorist in Pakistan, Hafiz Saeed to rattle Jammu and Kashmir with a series of terror strikes with the arrest of Pakistani LeT militant, Mohammad Amin Awan alias Abu Hamaaz of Pakistan’s port city of Karachi.
Hamaaz was captured alive by Army on the Line of Control (LoC) in Handwara area of Kupwara district on November 24 when his three Pakistani associates were eliminated by the troops in a fierce gunbattle. A soldier was martyred in the encounter. A day before police had handed over the custody of terrorist to the NIA for sustained interrogation as he was part of Hafiz Saeed’s close associates.
Sources told the Excelsior that Hamaaz, who hailed from Karachi’s Bardiya town, has turned out to be a “very rare catch” for the NIA as he has spilled lots of LeT plans not only pertaining to create mayhem in Jammu and Kashmir but also about plots being hatched by the outfit in Pakistan and PoK to send more militants into the Valley to compensate for the heavy losses suffered this year with the killing, arrest and surrender of large number of militants.
Sources said Hamaaz was “close confidant” of the associates of Hafiz Saeed, who had recently walked free in Pakistan, and had been pushed into this side along with other militants by them.
“Hamaaz used to inter-act freely with family members of Saeed and, therefore, had easy access to all major plans hatched by the LeT outfit pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir,” sources said.
They added that the LeT had been planning to carry out series of terror attacks on vital installations across Jammu and Kashmir for which it has prepared “special fidayeen squads”, who were camping in Pakistan and PoK for infiltration into the State.
“The LeT was planning terror strikes not only in the Kashmir valley but also in Jammu region,” sources said quoting disclosures made by Abu Hamaaz, who was part of a group of four militants infiltrating into the Kashmir valley from LoC in Handwara area of Kupwara district on November 24. After three terrorists of the group were eliminated by the troops, he was later captured alive and subjected to questioning.
However, keeping in view the significance of his arrest as he turned out to be close associate of Hafiz Saeed, he was handed over to the NIA for further interrogation and exposing the plot.
As per preliminary reports, sources said, the LeT outfit has kept 80 to 90 dreaded terrorists ready in Pakistan and PoK, all of whom were Pakistanis, for infiltration into Jammu and Kashmir this winter to compensate for heavy killings of their cadre this year by Army, CRPF, Police and other security agencies.
“The LeT has trained the militants for trekking through snow clad mountains to facilitate their infiltration into the Kashmir valley during winter,” sources said but added that the troops were fully prepared to foil any kind of intrusion bids by the militants during the winter.
Sources said some documents and other items recovered from slain and arrested militants were being de-coded to get more clues about activities of the LeT outfit in the Kashmir valley as well as in Pakistan and PoK.
Meanwhile, a Delhi court today sent Mohammad Amin Awan alias Abu Hamaaz to 10-day custody of the National Investigation Agency.
The accused was produced by the NIA before District Judge Poonam A Bamba and the agency sought his custodial interrogation till December 8, which was allowed by the court.
The matter was transferred to the NIA which registered a case on November 26 and took custody of the alleged terrorist.
During initial interrogation, he identified himself as Mohammed Amir Awan whose code in the Lashkar terror group was Abu Hamaaz, the NIA said.
The accused told his interrogators that he hailed from Bardiya town near the port city of Karachi and was recruited and trained by the terror group.
He was pushed into the Kashmir valley from Pakistan- occupied-Kashmir for carrying out attacks on various important installations in the Valley, the agency said.
Meanwhile, Security agencies have arrested another alleged Lashker-e-Toiba operative and claimed that he was carrying out reconnaissance of vital installations such as Army camps and power projects, officials said today.
They said that the accused, identified as Abdul Naeem Sheikh, a resident of Aurangabad in Maharashtra, was arrested from Varanasi recently after being tailed by security agencies for a few months.
The case has been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for further probe, the officials said.
It is alleged that Sheikh had visited Kashmir where he had carried out a recce mission involving some vital installations, including Army camps and power projects.
The officials claimed that he had also visited some places in Himachal Pradesh, especially Kasol, which is being frequented by Israeli nationals.
The security agencies have claimed that Sheikh had been roped in on the same lines as David Headley, a Pakistan- American, who is at present serving a prison sentence of 35 years in a US jail for his involvement in terror activities and the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in 2008.
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