Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Sept 14: In another major breakthrough, police have recovered a SIM card, a fake voter identity card of Election Commission and Pakistani passport from the possession of longest surviving militant Mehard-ud-Din Wani alias Daand, who was arrested on Batote-Ramban stretch of Jammu-Srinagar National Highway a day before by a team of Kishtwar police.
Sapna, the 32 year old wife of Daand has, meanwhile, confirmed that she too had accompanied her husband to his house in Sopore in the Kashmir Valley twice after her marriage with the militant in 1998. Police authorities at Dumbarai City, close to the heart of Kathmandu, the Nepal capital, have closed down a provisional store run by Daand after the report of his arrest by Kishtwar police and disclosures that he was a dreaded militant in the rank of UJC supremo Syed Salah-ud-Din, Dawood Ibrahim and Anees Ibrahim etc.
In a telephonic conversation with the Excelsior from Dumbarai City in the heart of Kathmandu, Sapna said she met Daand in the year 1995 at Kathmandu and married him in 1998 against the wishes of her parents. However, she said her family settled down and agreed to the marriage after few months.
Mother of two daughters—Guddu, 12 and Nahida, 7, Sapna claimed that she never doubted her husband as he never discussed any such thing with her. The militant had reportedly told her that he would settle in Kathmandu for business purposes and stay with her. The couple was putting up in a rented house at Dumbarai and was running a provisional store, which now has been shut down.
Sapna said she had traveled to Sopore residence of Daand twice during 14 years of her marriage. She said her husband told her that he was traveling to Srinagar for treatment of brain tumour, which was detected by the doctors in Kathmandu. He refused to take the wife along with her on the ground that it would be difficult to take care of their 12 year old handicapped daughter, Guddu.
Sapna said she never doubted the activities of her husband.
Police claimed that Sapna might have been won over by the militants or Pakistan’s Intelligence agencies operating in Nepal and asked to marry Daand to create permanent hideout for the top most militant and his associates in Kathmandu to carry on terror activities in India from the foreign soil.
Jammu and Kashmir Police could approach the External Affairs Ministry and Union Home Ministry to take steps for taking custody of Sapna from Kathmandu to interrogate her as she was in touch with Daand for 17 years and was living with him after marriage for past 14 years.
“Sapna could be well aware of many, if not all, activities of Daand as she had been putting up with her for past quite some time. This was the period when Kandahar hijacking of IC-814 flight had taken place (December 24, 1999) in which Daand was actively involved. He had been in Pakistan Embassy at Kathmandu with Pakistan diplomat Arshad Ayub when the plane was hijacked from Kathmandu and taken to Kandahar in Afghanistan’’, sources said. Indian had released three militants including Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Moulana Masood Azhar, Omar Sheikh and Mushtaq Latram in lieu of hijacked passengers.
They added that Sapna could given vital clues to police when subjected to interrogation about the network of Daand and his activities in Pakistan, Nepal and India including Jammu and Kashmir.
Meanwhile, police have recovered a Pakistani passport from the possession of Daand, which confirmed that he was in touch with Pakistani militants and had traveled there quite often. Preliminary reports indicated that Daand had traveled to Pakistan at least six times from Nepal and India. In India, hardliner Hurriyat Conference leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani had recommended Pakistani visa for him.
Sources said a fake Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) of Jammu and Kashmir and a SIM card have also been seized from the possession of Mehraj-ud-Din.
Seizure of the SIM card was very vital as it contained identity and number of his contacts in Pakistan, Nepal and India, which could help police nail the militant and establish his role in major activities.
Mehraj-ud-Din was today produced before Sub Judicial Magistrate, Kishtwar, who remanded him to police custody for four days.
Daand was being interrogated at a safe location.
Presently, Daand has been charged with old cases pending against him while fresh charges would be incorporated in the next few days.
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