3 LeT aides held in J&K’s Budgam

BUDGAM : Three terror associates affiliated with the proscribed terror outfit Lashkare-Taiba (LeT) have been arrested in Budgam, Jammu and Kashmir Police said on Sunday.

Acting on a specific input, the Budgam police, 53 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) conducted the operation to nab the accused who were also working for other terror outfits including Tehreek ul Mujahideen. The arrested accused identified as Mohammed Yousuf Dar, Abdul Majeed Mir and Reyaz Ahmad Basmati have been booked under relevant sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Two Hand grenades, 25 AK-47 rounds, four detonators, mobile phones used to contact Pakistani handlers, threat posters and other incriminating material has been recovered from them, the police stated in a release.

The police said these terror associates were operating in Budgam and Srinagar districts with the aim to target newly elected District Development Council (DDC) members and disrupt elections.

“They were in touch with handlers in Pakistan viz Sheikh, Usman, Tariq, Haftullah and others. These terror associates in garb of securing admissions in Pakistani educational institutions were managing contacts with Pakistan based terror handlers in order to recruit terrorists and revive militancy in Budgam,” read the release.

“They were also involved in several grenade attacks in district Srinagar. The terror associates disclosed that their motive was to recycle the ex-militants and target DDCs, security forces, and political workers. This group has also been active in issuing threat letters to political workers in the recent past, the same have also been recovered from them,” it said.