CHALLAN NOT FILED ON TIME, THREE LASHKAR ULTRAS GET BAIL

PATHANKOT: The Punjab and Haryana high court has ordered the release of three suspects of Jammu and Kashmir-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) on bail after the Punjab Police failed to file chargesheet on time.

Punjab Police foiled a major attempt to smuggle weapons into the Valley for carrying out terror attacks, with the arrest of Amir Hussain Wani of Shopian and Wasim Hussain Bhatt—on June 11, 2020. The third accused, Ahmed Bhatt, was arrested during the case’s investigation.

HAND GRENADES, AK-47 RIFLE WITH 2 MAGAZINES AND 60 LIVE CARTRIDGES WERE SEIZED FROM THEM

PATHANKOT: The Punjab and Haryana high court has ordered the release of three suspects of Jammu and Kashmir-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) on bail after the Punjab Police failed to file chargesheet o time.

Punjab Police foiled a major attempt to smuggle weapons into the Valley for carrying out terror attacks, with the arrest of two of the three accused—Amir Hussain Wani of Shopian and Wasim Hussain Bhatt—on June 11, 2020. The third accused, Ahmed Bhatt, was arrested during the case’s investigation.

The police had recovered 10 hand grenades, an AK-47 rifle with 2 magazines and 60 live cartridges from the possession of the Wanis.

Police had said that the duo, actively involved in transporting automatic weapons and hand grenades from Punjab to the Valley, were nabbed during a naka on the Amritsar-Jammu highway. The duo accused was travelling in a truck (JK-03-C-7383) the search of which had led to the recovery of the weapons and munitions. Director general of police Dinkar Gupta had said the accused, during preliminary probe, revealed that they had been directed to collect this weapons consignment from Punjab by Ishfaq Ahmed Dar, alias Bashir Ahmed Khan, a former J&K constable and an active militant of LeT. A case under sections of the Arms Act, Explosive Substances Amendment Act, and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), was registered at Pathankot.

The court has also noted that the police had got period of investigation extended in terms of Section 43-D (2) (b) of the UAPA from 90 days to 180 days from the Illaqa Magistrate who is “not competent” for this, after the counsel for the accused submitted that “only the Special Court” constituted in Punjab since 2014 could have extended the period of investigation.

Senior superintendent of police, Pathankot, Gulneet Singh Khurana, after feigning ignorance about the bail order, said they had presented the challan within the period of six months as per the law as their investigation period was extended from 90 days to 180 days by a court.