Four days after the Nagrota encounter in which three Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist were killed, Jammu and Kashmir Police (JKP) is now focused on the interrogation of Sameer Ahmed Dar who was caught alive from the encounter site on January 31.

Sameer Ahmed Dar is the cousin of the February 2019 Pulwama suicide bomber Adil Dar. Sameer was nabbed by police when he was trying to escape from Nagrota after Jaish terrorists opened fire on security forces.

Top sources in the security grid discovered that Sameer Ahmed Dar had managed to establish links with Pakistan terror mastermind on "WhatsApp", using a virtual private network (VPN).

VPN allows users to circumvent internet censorship to secure connections to the sites an individual wishes to access. It was through WhatsApp that Sameer Ahmed Dar was directed by the Jaish in Pakistan.

The 2G mobile internet data was restored across 20 districts in J&K on January 25 after over five months of internet shut down. The restoration, however, disallowed the use of social media completely.

The J&K administration had issued orders restricting internet use to 301 whitelisted websites only. But the terror groups are exploiting loopholes in the system, using the dark web to launch terror attacks.

Sameer Ahmed Dar was driving the truck ferrying 3 Jaish terrorists and two over ground workers (OGW).

Sameer is a Master in Geology from Kashmir University. His arrest from the encounter site, however, comes as a huge shot in the arm for security forces in J&K.

On sustained interrogation, Sameer Ahmed Dar admitted that he used WhatsApp to communicate with top Jaish commanders in Pakistan.

On the receipt of the message from Pakistan-based terror group, Sameer Ahmed Dar took his two aides in a truck to Basantar Nalla in Samba sector on the intervening night of January 30-31. He waited at a pre-decided pick-up point and moved towards the Valley after receiving the three Jaish terrorists.

Sameer Ahmed Dar was driving Jaish terrorists through Bann Toll in Nagrota on the outskirts of Jammu when a joint team of JK Police and CRPF intercepted them. A fierce encounter broke out between the terrorists and the security forces.

In the Nagrota encounter, three heavily armed terrorists were killed, and three local operatives, including Sameer, were arrested.

All three terrorists were armed to the teeth, wearing camouflage uniform which is worn similarly by the military personnel. Sources said, "The bodies of the terrorists were completely shaved." Sources said it is a common belief that the suicide attackers are deprived of proper burials, and hence they shave.

During interrogation, Sameer Ahmed Dar denied having any information about the target of the Jaish terrorists. The Jaish is known to launch fierce attacks on Army cantonments, security force camps and even the government installations.

Jaish has been behind some of the worst suicide attacks in Jammu and Kashmir including the February 14 Pulwama attack in which Sameer's Cousin Adil Ahmed Dar blew himself in an explosive-laden car, killing 40 CRPF soldiers.

The investigating team also found out that this was not the first time that Sameer had transported a group of Pakistani terrorists.

Last December, Sameer had transported a group of three Jaish terrorists. While one of the three was killed in Pari Tral area of Awantipora along with Jaish chief Qari Yasir, two terrorists continue to be at large.

The J&K Police has uncovered the modus operandi used by Jaish-e-Mohammed in transporting terrorists, avoiding detection by the security forces. Sources said that the truck was used to do a legal business transaction like transporting fruits.

In December, the truck went to Delhi carrying an apple consignment and on return carried back pomegranates. As soon as Sameer entered Punjab, he used his WhatsApp freely. This is when the GPS coordinates were shared.

From Sameer Ahmed Dar, the police have learnt about the role of an OGW, Shoaib Wani from Karimabad in Pulwama who received the terrorists.

He was the points person who arranged for the logistics and even kept the three terrorists at his Pulwama residence. Wani was a day later picked up by the J&K Police and is under sustained interrogation.

The terrorist exploited technology. In December, with no access to the internet, the plotting was done in Punjab. On return, the module would use Google Maps.

A top source explained: "Once you plot on Google Map, you can travel up to that point even if an individual is out of network."

On dropping the consignment of pomegranates, Sameer Ahmed Dar would pick up large packets of wall putty. This was used to camouflage the presence of armed Jaish operatives inside the cavity of the truck.

Towards January end, the same modus operandi was used. The truck went to Jaipur in Rajasthan and on return, came near the International Border. All went according to the terror masterminds in Pakistan till a random check was carried out.

Huge cache of arms and ammunition including wireless sets and US-made M4 carbine with night vision, AK 56, Thoraya phones, 16 antennas and six walkie talkie sets, were recovered from them.