3 Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists convicted

LUCKNOW: Special judge Pramod Kumar Mishra convicted three terrorists of the banned Pakistani terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad at a special court hearing conducted inside the district prison on Thursday . The quantum of punishment would be pronounced on July 14.

Special judge Pramod Kumar Mishra convicted three terrorists of the banned Pakistani terror group Jaish-eMohammad at a special court hearing conducted inside the district prison on Thursday. The quantum of punishment would be pronounced on July 14. On May 26 this year, all trial proceedings related with the case were completed.

In a joint operation, special task force (STF) of Meerut and Ghaziabad had arrested Pakistani terrorists Moahmmad Abid ‘Fathe’, Mirza Rashid Beg ‘Raja Kazaffi’ and Shafi-urRahman ‘Yusuf’ on November 15, 2007 at Sitapur road.

Cops had also recovered two AK 47 assault rifles, 60 live cartridges, 16 hand grenades, four kg RDX explosive and large number of fake identity cards. An FIR was lodged against all the three at Gudamba police station.

According to prosecuting officer MK Singh, the trio had sneaked into India with an intention to set free several foreign terrorists lodged in various prisons across the country. Intelligence agencies had inputs that Pakistani terrorists could take hostage any politician or staff of any government office as part of their agenda.

Following the input, the then additional director general of police, STF, directed the then additional superintendent of police, STF, Meerut Ashok Kumar Raghav to foil the plan of terrorists.

Sleuths of STF got information from intelligence agencies about some Pakistani terrorists reaching Lucknow, who had entered India through the porous Jammu and Kashmir border.

After getting information, joint teams of Meerut and Ghaziabad STF reached Lucknow on November 15, 2007. Here in the state capital, the STF teams positioned themselves near a flyover at Sitapur road. Four teams were constituted while two remained stationed near the flyover the other two moved towards Tedi Puliya.

On wee hours on November 15, 2007, at around 3.45 am, cops spotted a Santro car at Sitapur road. After a brief chase, the car collided against a wall and thereafter three terrorists got down from the vehicle. All three terrorists opened indiscriminate fire on cops with AK 47 rifles. Cops also opened fire.

The exchange of fire continued for more than half-an-hour after which cops arrested them.

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