Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Oct 17: Top Hizbul Mujahideen militant, Junaid Akram Malik, who was one of the accused wanted by the National Investigating Agency (NIA) in connection with last year’s blast outside Delhi High Court, has reportedly been killed by Hizbul Mujahideen commanders Jehangir Saroori and Shakir Ahmad alias Chotta Haafiz somewhere in forest areas of Kishtwar.
A message to kill Malik had been passed on to Saroori and Haafiz by Hizbul Mujahideen top brass after they managed to develop inputs that Junaid Akram Malik was going to surrender before police, police sources said.
Based on the information gathered from Intelligence and other agencies besides some local people, sources said they were now almost sure that Junaid was dead and the killing was executed by none else but his close associates-Jehangir Saroori and Chotta Haafiz.
Junaid carried a reward of Rs 20 lakh on his head-Rs 10 lakh each by the NIA and State Government.
Sources said police and security agencies have received credible information that Hizbul Mujahideen’s top leadership across the State had become aware of Junaid Akram’s plan to surrender before Kishtwar police and most likely become an approver in September 5, 2011 Delhi High Court blast in which 14 persons were killed and scores others were injured.
Akram’s surrender would have been a big setback to Hizbul Mujahideen outfit.
“It was in view of this fact the Hizbul Mujahideen top brass had directed their divisional commander for Kishtwar, Jehangir Saroori to eliminate Junaid”, sources said, adding that Shakir Ahmad alias Chotta Haafiz had taken Junaid for a meeting that Saroori.
“Saroori and Haafiz had pre-planned the killing of Junaid. In a forest area during the meeting, they killed Junaid and dumped his body somewhere in the forests”, sources claimed and noted that during the past quite sometime now there had been no intercept of Junaid.
Sources said they had quite often been intercepting messages of few left out militants of Kishtwar and Doda in which Chotta Haafiz and Jehangir Saroori figured. However, there had been no intercept of Junaid.
Shakir Ahmad alias Chotta Haafiz, Junaid Akram Malik and Aamir Kamal were three militants of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit, who were wanted by the NIA in connection with Delhi High Court blast. The NIA had declared a reward of Rs 10 lakh on each of them. The State Government had also announced an equal amount on their head.
Army and police had gunned down Aamir Kamal in an encounter in Kishtwar forests few months back along with Mohammad Shaffi. Their associate, Rezwan was arrested after the gun-battle.
With Junaid also reportedly dead, Chotta Haafiz was the only surviving militant, who was wanted by the NIA in connection with Delhi High Court blast, sources said, adding that police and other agencies were making all out efforts to get him arrested or surrendered as his killing in an encounter would be a major setback to the investigations in the blast case.
Sources said all three militants-Chotta Haafiz, Aamir Kamal and Junaid Akram could have given the NIA some vital clues in the blast. However, with two of them now dead and the third at large, the NIA’s task had been made difficult.
Three other militants from Kishtwar including Wasim Akram Malik, elder brother of Junaid who had been studying medicines at Dhaka, Bangladesh, have been arrested by the NIA. Charges have been framed against Wasim in connection with the blast.
Two Pakistani militants, who had transported explosives from Kishtwar to New Delhi and planted the IED outside Delhi High Court, have also remained untraced. One of them, Saifullah, was also wanted in detonating a car IED blast at Udhampur targeting a top official of Northern Command, who had a miraculous escape in the blast.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel