Was part of large network in Poonch
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 8: Cracking the whip on overseas terror modules, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) today arrested a person upon his arrival at the Jammu airport in connection with a case of infiltration of militants in Poonch and smuggling of narcotics..
Accused Shahid Naveed of Mendhar in Poonch district is alleged to be a close associate of Sher Ali, the main coordinator and facilitator of militant activities of various groups in the area, the officials said.
Ali was arrested on February 17, and Naveed’s name came up during his interrogation.
Both Ali and Naveed were operating from Kuwait, and their involvement in terror activities surfaced during the investigation of a case lodged in Mendhar police station last year following the killing of two Pakistani terrorists affiliated with the JK Ghaznavi Force in an encounter at Surankote in Poonch on December 13.
Sources said the Government of India had taken up deportation of Shahid Naveed with Kuwait where he was working but also running terror module simultaneously. A detailed dossier had been sent to Kuwait Government, based on which he was deported after Kuwait Government was satisfied with proof against the individual.
He was arrested by the NIA at Jammu Airport soon after he landed here in a plane and whisked away to a safer location for sustained questioning in connection with his involvement in running terror module in Mendhar area of Poonch district.
His questioning could lead to more arrests of militants and Over Ground Workers besides recoveries, sources said, describing his arrest as “quite significant” which would help solve certain militancy related cases in the border district of Poonch.
Naveed was part of the group involved in conspiracy to target religious places in Mendhar.
After the arrest of Ali in February, the NIA had taken over the case from Poonch police.
Naveed is believed to have been deported from a Gulf country and was brought to India under strict supervision. He was flown to Jammu for handing over to the NIA, the officials said.
A police investigation had revealed that Ali facilitated the entry of the two terrorists from the Dabbi area of Balakote on the intervening night of November 24 and 25 last year at the behest of Pakistani handler Sultan, the officials said.
Ali headed a network of Over Ground workers who were behind smuggling of arms and ammunition, besides narcotics.
Ali’s father Mushtaq Ahmed and sister Raskeem Akhter were arrested by Poonch police on September 11 for receiving the arms consignment from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and an FIR stands registered in Mendhar in this connection, police had said.
Earlier, five Over Ground workers — Mushtafa, Mohd Yaseen, Younis, Irfan and Raskeem — were arrested for their involvement in the terror network led by Ali. A huge cache of arms and ammunition, including five pistols, 13 grenades and one live improvised explosive device (IED), had been recovered from them.
In addition, police had said that over two kg heroin, worth over Rs eight crore in the international market, was recovered from this terror network.
The money generated from the sale of the narcotics was meant to be used for terror-financing.
Meanwhile, Special Judge NIA Sunit Gupta today granted eight days police remand of Naveed.
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