STATE TIMES NEWS
Srinagar: Three youth, allegedly planning to snatch weapons from police and join Hizbul Mujahideen militant outfit, were on Monday arrested in Pulwama district of south Kashmir, police said.
Mohammad Asif Khan, Adil Ahmad Najar and Saqib Nazir Bhat were taken into custody during a joint operation by police and Rashtriya Rifles in Awantipora area of south Kashmir Pulwama district, a police official said.
He said police acted after receiving specific information that a group of youth are being motivated by Hizbul Mujahideen commander Zakir Rashid Bhat alias “Mosa” to snatch weapons from police and to join the banned militant group.
“During question, the trio confessed that they had hatched a conspiracy to snatch weapons from pickets set up by police for the protection of minority communities or police so that afterwards they could join militant ranks,” the official said.
He said a case under unlawful activities act has been registered against the arrested persons and investigations started.
Over the last three months, there have been a number of incidents in which weapons have been snatched from police personnel in Kashmir valley. At least 67 guns, including INSAS and Carbines, have been looted during this period. Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir police said it has taken steps to prevent incidents of gun-snatching in the future.
“We have taken steps throughout the Valley so that such incidents do not happen. But our guards are also in far-flung and inaccessible areas to secure minority (community) locations,” Deputy Inspector General of Police (Central Kashmir Range) Ghulam Hassan Bhat told reporters in Srinagar.
“The measures which we have taken, we may not share the details but we will try, and we are sure that such incidents, should not happen in future,” he added.
During the media interaction, Srinagar Senior Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar said the militants were present in the state capital, two among whom had carried out an attack on SSB convoy on the outskirts of the city on October 14 in which one SSB jawan was killed and eight others were injured.
“We have conducted investigations and what we have found is that there were two militants who were ferried on a bike.
We are trying to identify the bike owner,” he said.
“We are hopeful that we will identify the person very soon,” the SSP added.
He said there is presence of militants in Harwan-Dachigam belt which borders Ganderbal district.
“We are not very sure about the number of the militants and will tell you at the appropriate time,” Kumar said.
Bhat said during the past three months, more than 800 youth allegedly involved in stone-pelting, have been arrested by the police in Central Kashmir Range.
“We have arrested more than 800. More than 80 among them have been arrested under Public Safety Act (PSA),” he said.
He said the police have also arrested 15 miscreants found involved in burning of vehicles during the last three months.
“We have registered 13 cases in central Kashmir, 12 in Srinagar and one in Budgam for burning of 12 vehicles. We have identified 22 people, of whom 15 have been arrested while seven are absconding,” Bhat said.
He said a few of those arrested were chronic stone- pelters since 2010 and some had cases already registered against them.
Some flags and masks have been recovered from them.
