At least two people were arrested while three others were detained on Saturday for allegedly helping Mohammed Naved Yakub, believed to be a Pakistani terrorist of Lashker-e-Toiba. He had ambushed a BSF convoy near Udhampur on Wednesday and was later caught alive by villagers. Two BSF constables were killed in the incident.
The case is being transferred from the Jammu & Kashmir police to the National Investigation Agency, given the national importance of the capture and potential subsequent ramifications. India's relations with Pakistan have rapidly soured in the past few days despite a promising meeting between the Prime Ministers of the two countries in Ufa last month. Representatives of the two countries are expected to talk later this month.
According to reports, central security agencies raided several spots in Jammu & Kashmir following Yakub's disclosures to central security agencies during his interrogation. Around a dozen people were reportedly quizzed by the agencies after they got the lead from the 23-year-old Pakistani national hailing from Faislabad in Pakistan.
Of the two people who have been arrested, according to PTI, one of them is a truck driver who drove Yakub and another alleged terrorist from Kulgam to Samroli in Udhampur, and the other one is a bakery owner at Pulwama, who the agencies believe is an over-ground worker of Lashker-e-Toiba.
Udhampur attack: Visuals of the house in Khudwani (Kulgam, J&K) where terrorist (Naved) was hidden. pic.twitter.com/65xsir67F7
— ANI (@ANI_news) August 8, 2015
Besides these two, three others are being questioned at the highly-fortified interrogation centres. There is a possibility that they may be arrested too.
NIA, which is investigating the case as per directions of the Union Home Ministry, has placed a team of its officers led by Inspector General S K Singh in Srinagar.
A case under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Arms Act and various sections of Indian Penal Code has been registered against Naved and his accomplice who has been identified by him as Noman alias Momin.
Naved reached Srinagar late last night as he was brought to Kashmir by road because helicopters failed to take off due to bad weather.
Udhampur attack:Visual of Javed's house where terrorist (Naved) who was arrested alive took shelter in Awantipora,J&K pic.twitter.com/IkXkFHfqc9
— ANI (@ANI_news) August 8, 2015
The sources said Naved was being taken to all the places that he had mentioned during interrogation after he was overpowered by two of the three villagers he had taken as hostages.
He along with Noman had on Wednesday ambushed a BSF convoy killing two constables. Noman was also killed in retaliatory fire.
After undergoing training in two different modules with Lashker-e-Toiba terror group, Naved along with three others had entered into India through Baramulla in North Kashmir area by cutting the fencing.
During interrogation, he said that he had stayed at Tangmarg and Baba Reshi and shifted their base to Awantipura-Pulwama in South Kashmir where he remained inside a cave located on a hill side.
(with PTI inputs)
Contact HuffPost India