SRINAGAR/FARIDABAD, Nov 10: Eight people, including three doctors, were arrested and 2,900 kg of explosives seized with the uncovering of a “white collar” terror module involving the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind and spanning Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, officials said on Monday.
Among those arrested following a 15-day operation were Kashmir’s Dr Muzammil Ganaie in Faridabad and Lucknow’s Dr Shaheen who was brought by air to Srinagar for custodial interrogation, officials said. An AK-47 rifle was found in her car.
The joint operation by the police forces of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana as well as central agencies have achieved a major breakthrough, officials said.
They did not divulge details of exactly when the arrests took place.
With this, the police have successfully thwarted the destructive designs of both the terror groups, the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH), an offshoot of the ISIS in India.
The 2,900 kg of explosive material includes ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate and sulphur. Of this, 360 kg of inflammable material suspected to be ammonium nitrate and some arms and ammunition were recovered from Ganaie’s rented accommodation in Faridabad, said a statement from the Jammu and Kashmir police.
The recoveries from various places include a Chinese Star pistol with ammunition, a Beretta pistol with ammunition, an AK 56 rifle with ammunition, an AK Krinkov rifle with ammunition as well as explosives, chemicals, reagents, inflammable material, electronic circuits, batteries, wires, remote control, timers and metal sheets, it said.
Ganaie, a teacher at the Al Falah University in Faridabad, was arrested after the Jammu and Kashmir police named him as a wanted person in a case involving putting up posters supporting the Jaish-e-Mohammed in Srinagar.
Of the eight arrested, seven are from Kashmir — Arif Nisar Dar alias Sahil, Yasir-ul-Ashraf, and Maqsood Ahmad Dar alias Shahid from Nowgam in Srinagar; Maulvi Irfan Ahmad from Shopian; Zameer Ahmad Ahanger alias Mutlasha from Wakura area of Ganderbal; Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie alias Musaib from Koil area of Pulwama, and Dr Adeel from Wanpora area of Kulgam. Dr Shaheen is based in Lucknow.
Several Pakistani numbers were found on the phones of Ganaie and Adeel, officials said. They could be the possible handlers of the network.
According to the Jammu and Kashmir police, the sophisticated terror module allegedly used professional and academic networks as a front, collecting funds under the false pretense of supporting social and charitable causes.
Briefing reporters in Faridabad earlier in the day, Commissioner of Police Satender Kumar Gupta said raids were conducted at Ganaie’s premises on Sunday.
“I want to clarify it is not RDX,” he said.
Besides, other material that can be used in terror activities was also seized from his room. This included 20 timers, four timers with batteries, 5 kg of heavy metal, a walkie-talkie set, batteries, an assault rifle with three magazines and 83 live rounds, one pistol with eight live rounds, two empty cartridges and two additional magazines.
Gupta refused to give any more details. (PTI)
