New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday filed a chargesheet against two Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) operatives for their involvement in the Udhampur Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast case. Sources in the NIA told ETV Bharat that Mohd Aslam Sheikh alias Adil and Mohd Amin Bhat aka Abu Khubaib nee Pinna have been charged for their bid in reviving the terrorist activities in Jammu by carrying out recruitments from the pool of Over Ground Workers (OGWs) and surrendered terrorists and motivating them to carry out terrorist activities. Both the accused have been charged under Sections 120B, 121A, 122, 307, and 407 of IPC, Sections 3 & 4 of the Explosives Substances Act, 1908, and Sections 16, 18, 18B, 20, 23, 38 & 39 of the UA (P) Act, 1967.
The NIA had taken over the investigation of the case on November 15, 2022, from the Jammu and Kashmir police. The NIA Investigation revealed that Sheikh was in touch with Bhat, an ‘individual terrorist’ of the LeT listed by the Government of India, who was now operating from Pakistan. “Pinna recruited Adil to carry out the two IED blasts on buses parked in the public areas of Udhampur district of Jammu & Kashmir, which had inflicted injuries to two persons," according to sources.
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Bhat, a resident of the Doda district in Jammu & Kashmir, joined the terrorist ranks of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen in 1997 and was involved in the execution of various terrorist acts in Jammu & Kashmir. He escaped to Pakistan in 2009 and is presently an active LeT handler, who is playing a vital role to revive and accelerate terrorist activities in the Jammu region of Jammu & Kashmir.
Adil collected the explosives consignment delivered by Pinna's associates from across the border in the Kathua sector. Pinna used drones and a dead drop method for this delivery. Pinna trained Adil in cyberspace on how to prime the IEDs,” sources said. On September 28, Adil planted two IEDs in two different buses, which were plying between Basnatgarh and Udhampur. One blast took place around midnight on September 28 and the other in the early hours of September 29.
“After his arrest, Adil made disclosures about the hoarding of explosives for future attacks. Two more IEDs, three sticky bombs, three detonators and two PTD timers were recovered from Adil’s residence. These were part of the consignment that was delivered from Pakistan,” sources said.
