Srinagar: Police on Friday claimed to have arrested along with grenade a youth from Kupwara who according to it was asked to carry grenade attack before admitted into the militant ranks.
Addressing reporters, SSP Kupwara Sri Ram said police received information that a suspicious person was roaming in the area to carryout grenade attack.
“A special team was constituted and this team identified the individual and arrested him,” he said, adding, “his personal search led to the recovery of a grenade.”
Based on the interrogation, the officer said, the youth revealed that he was tasked to carrying grenade lobbying in Kupwara.
“The youth was misguided by entities based in Pakistan via social media and he was asked to carry this kind incident (grenade lobbying) following which he will be recruited into (militant) outfits,” the officer said and identified the youth as Mohammad Aslam Beigh son of Nazir Ahmad Beigh of Maidanpora Lolab in the district.
A police spokesman in a statement issued later said that Beigh was arrested at a naka check point and upon his personal search, police seized one grenade besides other “incriminating material.”
“The individual has been taken into custody and preliminary investigation suggests that the individual was planning to join a (militant) outfit, and along with other (militants) was planning a (militant) attack in Kupwara area,” the spokesman said, adding, “Initial investigation revealed that he was motivated to turn to (militancy) through social media by entities based in Pakistan.”
The spokesman said a case FIR (No. 6/2019) under relevant sections has been registered in police station Kupwara in the matter.
