Bandipora/Budgam (J&K): Police have claimed to have arrested a militant affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba near the Papchan area of Bandipora district in North Kashmir. A police spokesman said in a statement that after receiving a tip-off, Bandipora police along with 14 battalions of the Army and 3 battalions of the CRPF raided a check post near the Papchan area on Wednesday.
The arrested militant has been identified as Mehboob-ul-Islam alias Farhan son of Inam-ul-Haq Shah, resident of Nadi Hall, Bandipora. A police statement said that during the search, a Chinese-made grenade, which he had hidden under the seat of a scooter, was recovered from his possession.
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According to a police spokesman, during the interrogation, the arrested militant revealed that he is affiliated with LeT and had set up a hideout in his shop in Nadi Hall Market on the instructions of the same militant group. "The arrested militant revealed that the slain Lashkar fighters Haider alias Abu Musa, Abu Ismail alias Faisal, Abu Hamza alias Okasha and Gulzar alias Faizan used to take refuge in his hideout," he said.
"The arrested militant also revealed that he had kept arms and ammunition and IEDs in the hideout for which he was planning to recruit youth from Bandipora district," the statement said. According to police AK-47 rifles, 10 magazines, 38 bullets, three pooches, two YMS sets, two detonators, etc were recovered from the spot. In a separate development, the investigation into the Narco-terror funding module has led to the arrest of one more terrorist associate namely Showkat Ahmed Ganie @ RK, resident of Shiekhpora Wathoora Chadoora. Police said the arrested person was involved in providing logistic support to proscribed terror outfit LeT by distributing proceeds of narcotics to active terrorists and terror operatives of the outfit.
