india

Updated: Apr 28, 2019 23:57 IST

The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Sunday said it has arrested three alleged Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) operatives from Budgam district.

Srinagar’s senior police superintendent, Haseeb Mughal, identified the three as Mushtaq Ahmad, Junaid Ahmad and Lateef Ahmad, who are in their mid-20s. He added the three were allegedly involved in an attack on a police post in Chanapora near Srinagar on Friday. Constable Feroz Ahmad was injured in the attack. He said the three were arrested within 30 hours of the attack during raids throughout Saturday night. They were presented before the media at Sadder police station on Sunday.

“After the [Friday] attack, we immediately strengthened our intelligence grid and collected digital evidence. We focused on some suspects who were already on our radar. We picked them up yesterday [Saturday] night and during questioning… they confessed to the crime and gave details about his group,” said Mughal. “We have brought this to fore within 30 hours. We recovered a Chinese pistol, two magazines, six live rounds, web belt and a Pulsar bike from them. Further investigation is on.”

The constable injured in the attack was undergoing treatment at Srinagar’s Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences. The militants attempted to take away his rifle but were unsuccessful because it was chained to his belt.

Mughal said Mushtaq Ahmad and Junaid Ahmad belong to JeM outfit and have been associated with it for the last one year, while Lateef Ahmad has been their helper. Mushtaq Ahmed is a postgraduate from the Kashmir University (KU). Mushtaq was friends with Sameer Ahmad, a militant based in Pulwama. “Sameer Ahmad knew Mushtaq from their Kashmir University days. On Sameer’s instructions, they had attempted to snatch a weapon in Srinagar,” he said. Sameer Ahmad has an MA in Earth Sciences from the KU.

“Junaid has a history of involvement in stone pelting and instigation. Lateef is an overground worker, who was facilitating their movement,” he said.

Mushtaq fired on the police post and Lateef was riding the bike on which they had travelled. Junaid crossed the sentry three times after being frisked. He then went inside to check the security situation there on the pretext of checking his passport verification status, came out and then approached the post again and this time was followed by Mushtaq, who was wearing a helmet and a pheran (a loose garment).

“When the sentry asked him to remove his pheran for frisking, he took out a pistol and opened fire. The alert sentry threw his mobile at the attacker and pushed him away. The sentry took one of the two bullets fired by the attacker. The sentry also opened fire and then fell. His colleagues also opened fire,” said Mughal.