Two held for providing SIMs
Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, June 12: Police in Sopore today arrested two persons for providing SIM cards to the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants while several separatist leaders were arrested by police from Srinagar during a protest demonstration.
Two persons Mansoor Ahmad Bhat son of Khazir Mohammad Bhat resident of Aalibagh, Hygam and Moinul Haq Lone son of Ghulam Mohammad Lone resident of Wagub, Sopore were arrested by Sopore police during a raid.
The duo were working for a cellular operator company in Sopore. They have been procuring SIM cards on forged documents and providing them to the militants of LeT operating in and around Sopore.
Police said that they used to sell these SIM cards at exorbitant rates, as high as Rs 700 per SIM card. “So far, six SIM cards have been detected that have been procured illegally and provided to the LeT”, police added.
Police said that a case (FIR NO: 71/2012 U/S 420, 467, 471 RPC R/W 10 ULA (P) Act) has been registered against the do with Police Station Tarzoo and investigation has been started.
Police is expecting more arrests in the case in coming days.
In the meantime, Police this morning detained several separatist leaders as they attempted to lead a protest demonstration against the death of over 100 youth during the summer agitation of 2010 across Kashmir Valley.
Shabir Ahmad Shah, Nayeem Khan, Javed Mir, Zafar Akbar and Yasmeen Raja along with their few dozen supporters assembled this morning at Partap Park Srinagar this morning at around 11 a.m.
These leaders and their supported came out on the Residency Road to march towards the United Nations Military Observers Office at Sonwar.
They were raising slogans against the security forces and Government. The separatist leaders were carrying pictures of Tufail Ahmad Mattoo, whose killing in 2010 led to widespread protests across the Valley. Police deployed heavily on the Residency Road intercepted them. This resulted in scuffle between the protesters and police. Police used batons against these leaders and their supporters and bundled them in police vehicles.
Seventeen-year-old Mattoo was killed when he was hit by a tear smoke canister fired by a policeman on June 11, 2010. Around 112 persons mostly youth were killed in the protests, triggered by Mattoo’s killing.
The leader of Muslim Khawateen Markaz, Raja, attempted to hold a sit in when she was detained by women police and bundled into a police vehicle.
Shah, Khan, Mir and Akbar and their several supporters were taken to nearby police stations.
It may be mentioned here that a strike call against the killing of youth in 2011 summer agitation disrupted normal life across Kashmir valley yesterday.
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