Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Oct 26: A day after the elections were announced in Jammu and Kashmir by the Election Commission of India, security forces today busted a militant recruiting module of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) in North Kashmir’s Sopore area and arrested its eight members.
Sopore Police and Army, today busted a recruitment module of LeT, averting a major militant subversive plan ahead of polls scheduled to be held next month.
These members of the module were arrested from various parts of Sopore.
They have been identified as Rayees Ahmad Bhat son of Mohammad Ramzan Bhat of Harwan Sopore, Sajad Ahmad Bhat son of Ghulam Mohammad Bhat of Harwan Sopore, Shabir Ahmad Kumar son of Habibullah Kumar of Harwan Sopore, Lateef Ahmad Gujar son of Noor Din Gujar of Gujarpatti, Zaloora, Zubair Ahmad Gujar son of Mohammad Yousuf Gujar of Gujarpatti, Zaloora, Mohammad Qasim Gujar son of Mohammad Israyeel Gujar of Gujarpatti, Zaloora, Mohammad Iqbal Gujar son of Mohammad Israyeel Gujar of Gujarpatti Zaloora and Hakimdin Gujar son of Mohammad Israyeel Gujar of Gujarpatti Zaloora in Sopore.
Police said that these boys were recruited into the outfit to build a network of LeT operatives who were bent upon executing various militant activities in and around Sopore in criminal conspiracy with one foreign militant of LeT, Umer Khitab of Pakistan. “Umar Khitab is operating in Sopore and is taking directions from LeT commander, Hanzullah, based in Pakistan”, police said.
“After being indoctrinated with Jihadi ideology, the group members had formally joined LeT organization and were provided the communication gadgets and weaponry”, police said.
Police said that the module was assigned with various tasks of couriering the weapons and money, identifying the targets of security installations and arranging communication devices. “Some of the members of the module were preparing to visit Pakistan on legal documents to get further training in bomb making and other terrorist activities, while others were preparing other terrorist actions including grenade attacks on VIP rallies and attacks on police and security forces”, Police said.
Police said that the LeT is facing dearth of foreigners and is now desperate to recruit the local youth of Kashmir by indoctrinating them with radical ideology. Police have requested the parents to be vigilant against the militant designs of luring youth into militancy.
Police have lodged an FIR (79/2014 under 7/25 IA Act) against them in Police Station Bomai, Sopore. Eight UBGL, 5 chinese grenades , 100 AK-47 rounds were recovered from their possession.
Meanwhile, Kupwara Police and 28-RR of Army in a joint operation busted a hideout in a forest area of Lolab in district Kupwara this afternoon and recovered huge cache of arms and ammunition.
A police spokesman said that acting on a specific information, Kupwara police along with 28-RR launched a search operation in the forest area of Watnar, Anderbugh, Lolab today.
“A militant hideout was busted and huge cache of arms and ammunitions including one AK 56 rifle, 5 AK magazines, 1000 AK rounds, one UBGL, two UBGL grenades, 4 pistols, 4 pistol magazines, 32 pistol rounds and 21 grenades were recovered from the hide out”, the spokesman said.
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