Sources insist that the house, situated close to the headquarters of the Army’s 15 Corps, belongs to the deputy SP.

They said that New Delhi had surfaced as the detained militants’ destination. Some of the officials believe that the group had been driving to the national capital to execute a terror strike ahead of Republic Day, on 26 January.

According to the police records accessed by The Quint, one of the detained militants was in rank next only to the Hizbul Mujahideen head in south Kashmir, Riyaz Naikoo.

Then a constable in the District Budgam Police, Syed Naveed Mushtaq had decamped with four INSAS rifles from a godown of Food Corporation of India at Chandpora Budgam on 20 May 2017.