Forty CRPF jawans were killed in the Pulwama attack in February. Forty CRPF jawans were killed in the Pulwama attack in February.

The Special Cell of Delhi Police Friday arrested a 27-year-old man who police said was a “close aide” of the mastermind behind the Pulwama attack on February 14.

The accused Sajjad Khan, was arrested from near Lajpat Nagar market. Police sources claimed that Khan was among the seven men who were earlier detained by the Special Cell and released after multiple rounds of questioning and document verification.

The police claimed that Khan was wanted in an NIA case (FIR No RC-08/2019/NIA/Delhi u/s121-A/120B) and UAPA Act. The police claimed that Khan was tasked with setting up a sleeper cell in Delhi. The NIA, however, later in the day clarified that the Sajjad Khan arrested by the Delhi Police Special Cell was not the same person wanted in the Pulwama terror attack case.

“Mudasir Ahmad Khan was the mastermind behind the Pulwama attack and we were working on ascertaining the identity of his associates who operated in Delhi. We have credible inputs that Khan, was an associate of Mudasir, and tasked with setting up a sleeper cell,” said DCP (Special Cell) Pramod Singh Kushwah.

Mudasir was killed in a gunbattle with security forces in Tral in South Kashmir on March 12.

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