Inter-state, trans-national module of terrorists busted in J&K; explosive material, arms recovered

Srinagar: The arrest of two overground workers (OGWs) carrying posters of terror outfits Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Ansar Ghazwatul Hind (AGuH) led to the busting of an interstate and trans-national module of terrorists, resulting in a major haul of arms and 2900 kilograms of explosive material, officials said on Wednesday.

The Srinagar police apprehended the OGWs on November 2, and a swift investigation by the local police led to the unravelling of the plot in less than three days.

Inspector Mir Masrat Aalam, the Station House Officer (SHO) of Nowgam police station, discovered during questioning that the suspects were part of a larger network and their handler - Moulvi Irfan Ahmad - hailed from Shopian district but was operating under the garb of a prayer leader in a local mosque in Nowgam area, officials in the know of the investigation said.

The officials further said that the team from the Nowgam police station picked up the imam who revealed the involvement of several young doctors in the module, currently working outside Jammu and Kashmir.

"The SHO informed his seniors about the disclosures, who sent a team to Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, where the cops from Jammu and Kashmir, with the help of local police, managed to nab Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather from a private hospital," the officials said.

Officials added that Dr Rather was arrested on November 6 and was brought to Srinagar the next day on a transit remand. Through his interrogation, police recovered an AK rifle from a locker at the medical college where he had worked until October of the previous year.

The doctor revealed information about large quantities of explosives stored by other members of the module in Faridabad and other locations. Consequently, police arrested Dr Muzamil Ahmad Ganaie, who had returned to his native village in Pulwama district to attend his sister's wedding. At his direction, a substantial cache of explosives was recovered from his rented room in Faridabad, officials said.

Ganaie was working at a local hospital in Faridabad, where Umar Nabi, a key suspect in the Delhi blast case, also worked.

The SHO's crucial role in exposing the module led to his reassignment to the NCR to assist with investigations into the explosives seizure and the Delhi blast, officials noted.

Meanwhile, investigations in Kashmir have intensified, targeting individuals believed to be connected with the terror ecosystem. Dozens of people, including several doctors with close links to Rather, Ganaie, or Nabi, have been questioned by the police.

The police also questioned Fatima Bano, the wife of Moulvi Irfan, officials informed.

While some of those questioned are suspected of being involved in terror activities, others are being examined to understand the recruitment processes employed by terrorist handlers operating within the union territory or across the Line of Control, officials said.