NIA arrests HM terrorist in J&K BJP leader murder case

The anti-terror probe agency, NIA on Wednesday arrested absconding Hizabul Mujahideen terrorist in the murder case of BJP leader Anil Parihar and his brother Ajeet Parihar.

New Delhi: In a major success in the murder of BJP leader Anil Parihar and his brother Ajeet Parihar which took place in November 2018, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday said that it arrested a terrorist of the banned outfit Hizabul Mujahideen from Jammu and Kashmir.

An NIA spokesperson said that it arrested absconding terrorist Rustam Ali from the outer area of Kishtwar town in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday.

The official said that he was arrested after the anti-terror probe agency received information about his presence in the area and accordingly an NIA team was sent which apprehended Rustam Ali, who is also wanted in several other cases related to the robbery of INSAS rifle from PSO of Advocate Nasir Hussain.

The official said that Ali was produced before a court that granted seven-day NIA custody. The official also claimed that Ali had been absconding for a long time and investigation revealed that he had constructed a hide-out in the house of one Nishad Ahmed Butt for safe hiding of accused persons.

Parihar brothers were shot at point-blank range outside their house on November 1, 2018, when they were returning home after closing their shop.

The J&K government had earlier constituted an SIT to probe the killings, and based on its findings agreed to transfer the case to the NIA three weeks later. On May 15 this year, the NIA filed a chargesheet against six people, including three slain HM terrorists and three arrested overground workers of the terror group for providing support to Pakistan-based terrorists to kill BJP leader Anil Parihar and his brother.

Earlier, the NIA had said that it filed the chargesheet against three slain HM terrorists, Osama-bin-Javid, Haroon Abbas Wani and Zahid Hussain and three OWGs (overground workers), Nisar Ahmed Sheikh, Nishad Ahmed Butt and Azad Hussain Bagwan, all residents of Kishtwar, in a Special NIA court in Jammu. They have been charged with murder and criminal conspiracy, under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and the Arms Act.

The NIA official said that accused Sheikh, Butt and Bagwan, all residents of Kishtwar, were arrested on November 20, 2019. He said these three used to provide logistic support to three terrorists Javid, Wani and Hussain, who murdered the Parihar brothers.

The official said that the NIA investigation unearthed a larger conspiracy of these terrorists and the overground workers of HM to try to revive terrorism in the districts of Doda, Kishtwar and Ramban.

"These terrorists not only murdered the Parihar brothers but also carried out three other terrorist acts in Kishtwar in 2019," the official claimed.

He said in furtherance of the said conspiracy led by Jahangir Saroori, Commander of HM in Kishtwar district, the three accused persons devised ways and means to raise funds to sustain the activities of the banned terrorist organisation.

They looted weapons from police or personal security officers, he said.

According to the NIA, Javid, Wani and Hussain were killed in different encounters between the HM cadres and security forces in Ramban and Doda districts in September 2019 and January 2020. (IANS report)