Uttar Pradesh: Two suspected JeM terrorists arrested in Saharanpur
The Anti-Terror Squad of Uttar Pradesh police arrested two suspected Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists, officials confirmed on Friday. The two suspected terrorists were arrested from Deoband in Saharanpur district, Director General of Police OP Singh said. Both the men reportedly belonged to Jammu and Kashmir. Their arrest comes days after Jaish-planned attack in Pulwama ended with the martyrdom of 40 CRPF personnel.
The terrorists have been identified as Shahnawaz Ahmad and Aqib Ahmad Malik. Reportedly, Shahnawaz hails from J&K's Kulgam region while Aqib belongs to Pulwama. They were tasked with recruiting people for the outfit. "It is difficult to say whether the two men came before the Pulwama attack or after that and whether they were linked to it," said Singh at the press briefing.
The police also recovered pistols and cartridges from the suspected terrorists. Their phones have also been seized. Reportedly, the ATS acted after they were tipped off by locals. The duo was posing as students.
To recall, Jaish was responsible for the worst terror attack to have hit the valley in decades. A Pulwama resident Adil Ahmad Dar, who joined the notorious outfit last year, carried out the attack by ramming his explosive-laden SUV into one of the buses of CRPF convoy. The high-intensity blast, which was heard from 10 kms distance, turned vehicles into a heap of iron.
The security forces soon swung into action to teach the terrorists a lesson. They succeeded in the operation which lasted more than 15 hours. Apart from Kamran, the mastermind of Pulwama attack, two other terrorists were also eliminated. The terrorists were hiding at a house in a Pulwama village. However, the encounter proved costly as India lost four bravehearts, including an Army major.
While revealing the details of the successful operation to media, Lt Gen KJS Dhillon, 15 Corps Commander, had appealed to mothers to keep a check on their kids. "Request all mothers of Kashmir to tell their sons to surrender and get back. Anyone who has picked up the gun will be killed and eliminated unless he surrenders," he had said sending a strong warning.
