Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, May 3: Police today busted the racket engaged in hijacking of vehicles on Jammu-Pathankot National Highway by arresting four accused, who have confessed their involvement in five cases so far, while police was investigating whether they were linked to militancy or their role was confined to committing crimes only.
As panic gripped the National Highway belt of Jammu to Pathankot and other parts of Jammu following regular hijacking of vehicles and their recovery after a day or so, a police team today developed specific input and conducted raid at Hotel Stay-In at Jewel Chowk and arrested four accused, who had taken shelter there and were plotting hijacking of another vehicle.
Police subjected the accused to questioning, who have confessed their involvement in all five incidents of vehicle hijacking on Jammu-Pathankot National Highway so far.
Police identified the accused as Farman Ali alias Surmu son of Roshan Din R/o Ande Chack, Hiranagar, Mumtaz Ali alias Billu son of Faqir Ali R/o Rakh Sarkar, Hiranagar, Mohammad Aslam son of Murad Baksh R/o Chack Manga, Samba and Mohammad Shafi son of Abdul Majid R/o Bhool Ramkot, Billawar, Kathua. So far, two vehicles have been recovered from them.
During preliminary questioning, the accused disclosed that they used to snatch cash from the vehicle occupants and then drive the vehicles to Punjab from where they lifted cattle and brought them to Ragoora and Kullian, where Kashmiri bovine smugglers used to wait in trucks.
The bovine animals were loaded in the trucks.
However, police said, they were further questioning the accused to ascertain whether they were also involved in the militancy. The questioning would take some time.
Police added that they were engaged in conducting raids to nab other associates of the accused.
Police parties led by SDPO Gandhi Nagar Mohammad Rafiq made the arrests under the supervision of SSP Jammu Sunil Gupta and SP City South Sandeep Choudhary.
A case has been registered against the accused.
Meanwhile, Samba police today recovered the white coloured Scorpio bearing registration number JK 19-2787, which was hijacked by two unknown individuals, from Jammu to Samba yesterday .
The vehicle was abandoned by the hijackers near PS Narote Jamial Singh in Pathankot district of Punjab after replacing its number plate.
Police said the hijackers had attached new number plate reading PV06A6508 but later they abandoned the vehicle after seeing the police nakas at various places ahead. Fearing being apprehended by the police they abandoned the vehicle at a secluded place and fled away.
This was the fourth vehicle hijacked in last 15 days by a gang of miscreants in Samba and Kathua districts.
It may be recalled that two persons boarded a Scorpio at Jammu for Supwal, Samba yesterday and after reaching Supwal they pushed the driver out of the vehicle and fled away. The driver travelled to Vijaypur Police Station to lodge the complaint there. Earlier, three more vehicles were hijacked in Samba and Kathua districts, which were hired by hijackers from Jammu and all the vehicles were later abandoned at secluded places.
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