Ringleader pelters arrested by NIA in J&K

The NIA, which is probing the alleged terror funding in Jammu and Kashmir, has arrested two alleged “ringleaders” of stone-pelters from south of the Valley.

The duo, identified as Javed Ahmed Bhat and Kamran Yusuf, was arrested from Kulgam and Pulwama districts, respectively, official sources here said on Tuesday.

“They have been put on to sustained interrogation and will be shifted to Delhi if the need arises,” said an official.

Meanwhile, the NIA is reported to have identified 117 suspects who allegedly used 70 WhatsApp groups to organise stone-pelting protests in the Valley. However, many of these groups have administrators based in Pakistan, the Gulf and some other countries. As many as 6,386 phone numbers were found part of these WhatsApp groups during the investigation.

Of them, around 1,000 were found active in Pakistan and the Gulf countries.

The groups have been identified by the NIA after infiltrating into these by using intelligence inputs, technical surveillance, GPS and satellite imagery, the sources added.

On Tuesday, lawyers in Srinagar boycotted courts to hold protests against the NIA summoning Mian Abdul Qayoom, president of Kashmir High Court Bar Association.