Another Pakistan terrorist caught alive in J&K

The Army on Thursday caught another Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorist from Pakistan in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir during an encounter with militants. He was caught three weeks after the arrest of Mohammed Naved, another terrorist from across the border.

However, while the police identified the latest catch as 22-year-old Sajjad Ahmed from Baluchistan in Pakistan, the Army refused to reveal his details as of now for security reasons. It said the decision was taken to stop Pakistan from trying to create a confusion.

“We won’t reveal his name for the time being due to security reasons. We saw Pakistan trying to create a confusion once Naved’s identity was disclosed stating that he is a local Kashmiri,” an Army officer told Deccan Herald.

Asked whether the arrested LeT militant would be handed over to the National Investigating Agency (NIA), the officer said: “If the need arises and the NIA seeks his custody, he will be handed over.”

Sources said the militant was shifted to Srinagar for a joint interrogation by the Army and police.

The militant was captured following an overnight encounter in Rafiabad, Baramulla, 75 km from here, in which three terrorists were killed. One more terrorist was killed earlier on Wednesday.  The encounter started late on Tuesday evening after the police and Army received a tip-off and went after them. The Army also deployed helicopters to track down the militants who were hiding in a dense forest, reports said.

The gang of five

Police said the gang comprised five LeT militants. “They were first intercepted in the border town of Uri and when one of their accomplices got killed, they took the forest route and reached the Kazinag Dhar Ridge, a mountainous and densely forested area in Rafiabad,” Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, North Kashmir Range, Gareeb Das told reporters.

“A joint operation by the Special Operations Group of police and the Army was launched to track down the militants,”he said, adding that three militants were killed on Thursday while one was caught alive. “He is from Pakistan,” the DIG confirmed.

An Army official, seeking anonymity, said the operation took place at 14,000 feet above sea level. He said five AK-47 rifles, about a dozen grenades and huge quantity of ammunition were recovered from the possession of the slain militants.

The militant became the second terrorist after Mohammed Naved alias Usman of Pakistan, who was caught alive after an attack on a BSF vehicle in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir, on August 5.