In a major success, the Jammu and Kashmir Police busted a module of the proscribed terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) by arresting four Over Ground Workers (OGWs), including a young woman, in the Ahmednagar area of Srinagar. Weapons and ammunition were recovered from them.
A grenade, 15 assault rifle cartridges, and a mobile phone were seized during a search of their vehicle.
Although senior police officers have maintained a guarded silence, it is believed that the arrests were made in connection with the recent busting of a terror module in Punjab, where two Pakistani terrorists were arrested in a joint operation by the Punjab Police and Jammu and Kashmir Police.
All four were arrested after their links with LeT were established during the search. The young woman has been identified as Shazia Mohammed, while the other three have been identified as Zahoor Ahmed Mir, Bashir Ahmad Bhat, and Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, all residents of Hazratbal.
According to sources, the arrested OGWs are linked to an interstate Lashkar-e-Taiba module that was recently busted by Jammu and Kashmir Police in March, during which two Pakistani terrorists were arrested in Punjab.
Meanwhile, a third Pakistani terrorist, Umar alias Khargosh, reportedly managed to escape to Saudi Arabia via Indonesia using a fake passport.
According to information, police had set up a checkpoint near the Dagarpora forest in Ahmednagar. A Duster vehicle was seen approaching and was signalled to stop. The driver, however, attempted to turn back and flee but failed.
Four people, including a young woman, were inside the vehicle. The checkpoint party intercepted the vehicle and conducted a search, during which weapons and ammunition were recovered.
Shazia and Zahoor are residents of Durhama, Hazratbal. Shazia is a student, while Zahoor is a beekeeper. Bashir Ahmad, approximately 63 years old, is an electrician by profession.
OGWs linked to Pakistani terrorists arrested in Punjab
Reports indicate that the four arrested OGWs have links with two Pakistani terrorists recently apprehended in Punjab.
As reported earlier, in a joint operation by Punjab Police and Jammu and Kashmir Police, two suspected terrorists linked to Pakistan were arrested in Malerkotla on March 28.
The suspects were identified as Abbu Gaba and Usman, who had been residing as tenants in Punjab's Malerkotla district.
Police learned about the suspects from a drug peddler during an investigation related to an anti-drug campaign. Their identities were later matched with those of two wanted terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.
Residents of Malerkotla stated that the accused had been living in different parts of India for over 15 years, and no one suspected them of any anti-national activities or doubted that they were Indian nationals.
A team from the CIA wing of Mahorana in Malerkotla carried out a raid in Sherwani Kote village and detained the two suspects, who were later handed over to Jammu and Kashmir Police.
Police in Malerkotla have recently intensified action against anti-national elements. In a separate operation, Punjab Police arrested three local men—Farhan Anjum, Adnan Khan, and Waris Ali—for allegedly radicalising locals in the name of religion. During the operation, police recovered a .32 bore pistol, three cartridges, and four mobile phones.
Earlier, authorities had also arrested a woman named Gujala and one Yameen Mohammad in a cross-border espionage case. The woman is accused of acting as a local handler, while Yameen Mohammad—reportedly linked to the Pakistan embassy—was allegedly passing sensitive information to hostile elements.
