Two persons, reportedly involved in mysterious blasts in Rajouri, have been arrested, the police said on Tuesday. A cache of arms and ammunition, including five improvised explosive devices, have been seized.

The arrested men have been identified as Mohd Shabir and Mohd Sadiq, both resident of Draaj village in Budhal. An LeT terrorist, Talib Shah, said to be the mastermind behind the blasts, is absconding.

A blast on March 26 and another on April 19 had rocked Kotranka town in Rajouri, leaving two persons injured. Another blast took place in neighboring Shahpur Kandi village of Budhal on April 24, injuring two persons.

“Teams of the Rajouri police and the 60 Rashtriya Rifles searched various locations in Larkoti, Targain, Jaglanoo and Draaj areas of Rajouri and apprehended Mohd Shabir and Mohd Sadiq,” said Jammu ADGP Mukesh Singh.

“They worked on the directions of their Pakistan-based handlers. A preliminary investigation suggests this group is headed by one Talib Hussain Shah, who collected three consignments of arms, ammunition and explosives from Lamberi-Kalakote area in January, March and April,” said a police spokesperson.

According to the police, Talib Shah is the Rajouri commander of the LeT. “He has been the mastermind of all terrorist activities in Pir Panjal area for the past two or three years. He motivated many youths for carrying out terror activities in Rajouri. Shabir and Sadiq were also motivated by Talib,” the police spokesperson added.

The police have announced some reward on sharing information about Talib.

During interrogation, the arrested men disclosed about the explosives they had kept in the forest area of Draaj. Five IEDs, five remote control systems, 19 batteries and 10 fuses have been seized. Further investigation is expected to bring to light the accused’s involvement in more cases, the police added.

It has also come to fore that this group had been “sheltering a few Kashmir-based LeT terrorists” in Kandi-Budhal area. They were trying to revive militancy in Pir Panjal districts, the police said.

“This is a big achievement for the security forces. The blasts had triggered panic in the area. The accused were planning more such attacks. The arrest of two associates of Talib is a big blow to the LeT,” the ADGP added.

Two OGWs shot in Kupwara

• Two suspected overground workers were killed by Army men near the LoC in Kupwara.
• Majid Chechi and Shamsudin are believed to have gone there to receive weapons.
• Rifles, four grenades have been seized.

Courtesy: The Tribune India :28th June , 2022