Srinagar: Baramulla Police, Army and CRPF have arrested two Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants who had gone to Pakistan on a valid Pakistani visa to obtain arms training there for undertaking “terrorist” activities in the valley, Jammu and Kashmir Police said on Saturday.
Police said the militants had obtained passports specifically for the purpose of carrying out militant activities in Kashmir. “These militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba were nabbed immediately after returning via Wagah-Attari border before they could formally join the militant ranks here in Kashmir,” a police spokesperson said in a statement.
“Those arrested are Abdul Majeed Bhat S/o Habibullah Bhat R/o Mughalpora,Saloora Kreeri (Passport No R3981036), Mohammad Ashraf Mir S/o Ghulam Ahmad Mir R/o Nilla, Palpora ,Pattan (Passport No N7084132),” he said, adding that a case FIR No. 12/2018 under section 13 ULA(P) Act has been registered in Police Station Baramulla and investigation has been taken up.
Police said that on questioning, the duo revealed that they had undergone militant training in Pakistan along with large number of Pakistani boys and most of them from Balochistan and as young as 10-years-old.
“The said (militant) camps are located near Burma Town, Islamabad, Pakistan and being run by one (militant) commander operating under code name Hanzala Adanan and Omar. Other (militants) imparting training to young boys are operating with code names Osama, Naveed and Hataf. The arrested militants have been given Pakistani visas by Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.”
The spokesperson for the past couple of years, police has unearthed several such modules who lure young boys to Pakistan to get trained and join militancy. In the past several such boys have been arrested and some of them killed in encounters, he said.
“On 4 February 2017, two militants namely Azharuddin alias Qazi R/o Natnusa,Kupwara and Sajad Ahmad alias Babar R/o Duroo, Sopore got killed in an encounter in Amargarh, Sopore and both had gone to Pakistan on a valid visa to obtain (militant) training and subsequently joined militancy here and got killed,” he said.
“One Suhaib Farooq Akhoon S/o Farooq Ahmad Akhoon R/o Khanpora, Baramulla has also visited Pakistan in August last year and acquired (militant) training in Lashkar-e-Toiba (militant) camp and subsequently gone underground, joined militant ranks and is currently active. One more militant Abdul Rashid Bhat R/o Krankshvan,Sopore was also arrested last year on July 17 by Baramulla police who had also undergone training in Pakistan under similar circumstances.”
Police has requested the parents to keep watch on their wards and their prolonged absence from home should be immediately reported to police so that lives of these boys are saved.
