Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 29: Police and security agencies have come across a major network of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants operating in the border district of Poonch and helping the militants reaching their hideouts after infiltration from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Though no major intrusion bid has taken place this year, the network of the militants had always been kept ready to receive the militants from the Line of Control (LoC) and taken them to safe hideouts. The group had already supplied activated SIM cards of Indian companies to militants in PoK to allow them to remain in touch with their group on this side.
Two SIM cards—one from Aircel (Indian) with No. 8803785965 and another from Pakistan’s company Zaang with No. 0311554740, which were seized from the possession of two slain infiltrators at Balnoi in Mendhar sector of Poonch district the other day, have given police and other investigating agencies some vital clues about the militants’ network on this side, police sources said.
The Aircel SIM card had been issued on the name of one Kulbir Singh of Kathua fraudulently.
Sources said the SIM card had already been smuggled to PoK and was being brought by the infiltrators along with them to contact their sympathizers to take them to safe hideouts. The twin SIM cards of India and Pakistan were aimed at helping the militants to stay in touch with their colleagues on both sides, they added.
According to sources, the militants had been in touch with their local associates in forward areas of Mendhar at least for past five to seven days before making the attempt to infiltrate into this side on the intervening night of September 27 and 28.
The militants—Abu Mahaz alias Khandari Kashmiri, a divisional commander and Abu Anzala alias Abu Tallah Afghani, an area commander, both from Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) outfit, were killed by the troops near the LoC at Balnoi sector while their four colleagues had retreated.
Sources said the maps recovered from the possession of slain militants showed had area identified only up to a particular place of Mendhar. “This indicated that the local associates of the militants had to pick up the fresh group from that particular spot and take them to safe hideouts’’, they added.
Sources said some contacts of the militants have been identified on both sides with the help of both Indian and Pakistani SIM cards. The SIM cards were being sent to cyber experts to extract more data from them especially, which might have been erased by the militants before making the infiltration attempt.
Sources said it has been detected for the first time in the border district of Poonch that the militants were already in possession of activated Indian SIM cards while they were yet to infiltrate into this side. Mostly, their associates on this side provided them with the Indian SIM cards on successful infiltration.
Police said the group of associates of the militants in Mendhar, who has to help the infiltrators after entering into this side was being identified with the help of SIM cards. Police added that they were quite confident of getting the network of militants busted.
As both slain militants were Pakistanis, the security agencies believed that four militants, who escaped back to PoK during exchange of firing, could also be Pakistanis. They might also be in possession of more SIM cards.
According to sources, the militants had been equipped with both Indian and Pakistani SIM cards to help them keep in touch on both sides. Worthwhile to mention here that Pakistan telecom companies have installed mobile towers close to the LoC, which helped the militants keep in touch with ultras in PoK from the areas falling close to the LoC or upper reaches of this side.
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