Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Nov 6: Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) divisional commander for South Kashmir, Altaf Baba, gave a slip to the security forces by removing looted rifles of police from a dump hours before police and Army raided an orchard in South Kashmir yesterday.
Police sources said that police and 44 Rashtriya Rifles of Army raided an orchard in Hanjan Payeen in Rajpora area of South Kashmir where JeM commander Altaf Baba had got the looted weapons of police including 3 INSAS rifles and 2 SLRs dumped. These rifles were concealed in a plastic tank and dumped in the orchard by JeM.
Police said that they were tracking these weapons that were looted by JeM commander Altaf Baba during an attack on a minority picket in Medura Tral in South Kashmir in 2010.
Police said while tracking these weapons, Awantipora Police and 44 Rashtriya Rifles of Army apprehended two Over Ground Workers (OGWs) of JeM from Sonargund Awantipora in South Kashmir. They were identified as Altaf Hussain Mir son of Abdul Gani and Shamim Ahmad Wani son of Mohammad Khalil residents of Hanjan Payeen, Rajpora.
Police said that a Chinese pistol, two pistol magazines, four rounds of pistol ammunition, three UBGL grenades, three rocket shells and 113 rounds of AK ammunition were recovered from them.
Police have lodged a case (FIR No. 153/2012, under Section 7/25 A. Act) and have started investigations into their involvement in the militant activities in South Kashmir.
Police said that JeM commander had handed over these looted weapons to the two OGWs, Mir and Wani, who had concealed it in a plastic tank and dumped it in their orchard.
Police said, however, soon after the arrest of the two OWGs, JeM commander, Altaf Baba, managed to remove the dumped weapons from the orchard. Police and Army raided the orchard but weapons were found missing as JeM had got it removed.
Police said that the two men were providing logistic support to the JeM in South Kashmir for carrying out attacks.
Police said that JeM was responsible for killing of a police man, Dalbir Singh, who was regulating traffic at Rajpora Chowk on July 3 this year.
Police also said that JeM was also responsible attacking a Sarpanch, Ishtiyak Ahmad, in Vishroo Keller in South Kashmir on June 1 this year.
JeM also threatened the Panchayat members in South Kashmir by issuing threat posters at several places since last year when Panchayat elections were held in Jammu and Kashmir after a gap of 34 years.
It may be mentioned here that around 1000 Panchayat members resigned since last year after militants issued threats asking them to resign.
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