Jammu Kashmir police
Jammu Kashmir policeReuters

Personnel from the Jammu & Kashmir Police and the 46 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) of the Army reportedly arrested a militant belonging to Pakistan-based extremist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). The militant, identified as Abdul Rehman alias Shabir Ahmad Khan, along with four others was reportedly planning fidayeen attacks on security forces and other targets. 

The police monitored Rehman's activities for two months before arresting him on Saturday in Baramulla, Asian News International in a tweet quoted Major General JS Nain as saying. An Aadhaar card in the name of his alias Shabir Ahmad Khan was reportedly recovered at the time of his arrest.

"It is a big achievement. The terrorist was the commander of Baramulla. He was planning to establish a fidayeen base. He was operating in and around Baramulla," Baramulla Senior Superintendent of Police Imtiyaz Hussain told Daily News & Analysis.

Meanwhile, the police have launched an investigation to verify the authenticity of the Aadhaar card. "It's a matter of concern if the Aadhaar Card (of the terrorist) is genuine," Nain was quoted by an ANI tweet as saying.

Rehman, 23, received training under the supervision of Pakistani spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) at the JeM camp at Balakote block in the Poonch area of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Nain said. He, along with four other militants, crossed the border and entered India in January. Rehman had reportedly come to Baramulla seven times in the last two months.

They were apparently instructed to recruit more people for JeM from the Baramulla, Sopore and Kupwara areas and prepare a module that would carry out fidayeen attacks in India. The JeM is trying to set up its base in Baramulla and carry out attacks on security forces and other sensitive areas, the police have said.

"He is part of a fidayeen squad that infiltrated in January this year from the Machil sector (of LoC in Kupwara district). The terrorist was trained at the JeM training camp in Balakote, Pakistan," DNA quoted Hussain as saying.

India believes JeM was behind the attack on the Indian Air Force in Pathankot, Punjab, on Jan. 2. At least seven Indian security personnel were killed in the attack, besides the four attackers,.