Wanted Hizbul militant arrested in Kishtwar

JAMMU: A wanted Hizbul Mujahideen militant, who was luring youths into militancy, was arrested on Sunday in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir, a senior police officer said.

Reyaz Ahmad, a resident of Sounder Dachhan village and a close associate of hardcore terrorist Mohammad Amin alias ‘Jhangir’, was arrested by a police party based on specific information from the town, senior superintendent of police, Kishtwar, Rajinder Gupta told PTI.

He said several pictures of Ahmad holding an AK assault rifle had gone viral on social media in the recent past and his name also surfaced during interrogation of two of his associates who were arrested in the town on July 1.

Following the arrest of his two associates, a case was registered at the Kishtwar police station.

The officer said Ahmad was also involved in another case related to militancy in the Parimpora locality of Srinagar. “Some more arrests and recoveries are expected at his disclosure,” the officer said, adding he was a “hardcore motivator encouraging local youth to join militancy”. Jehangir is the longest surviving terrorist active in the Kishtwar belt, he said. According to a police statement Reyaz was also wanted in connection with a case under the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC), the criminal code of the state of Jammu and Kashmir as the Indian Penal Code is not applicable under the Article 370 of the constitution.

Reyaz is facing a number of charges, including section 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 121 (waging or attempting to wage war or abetting waging of war against government of India) and 121-A (conspiracy to commit offences punishable by section 121), among others.

REYAZ AHMAD WAS A ‘HARDCORE MOTIVATOR ENCOURAGING YOUTH TO JOIN MILITANCY,’ ACCORDING TO POLICE