NIA arrests two LeT over-ground workers in Srinagar

Srinagar, Jul 14 (PTI) The National Investigation Agency on Friday arrested two over-ground workers of the proscribed Lashkar-e-Taiba who were “actively involved” in transporting weapons and funds on the directions of their Pakistan-based handlers, it said.

National Investigation Agency (NIA) probes revealed that terror groups were delivering hardware and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) for attacks in Jammu and Kashmir either through drones or these were assembled locally.

In a major breakthrough in the Jammu and Kashmir terror conspiracy case, the NIA arrested from Srinagar two people involved with Kashmiri terror groups, the federal agency said in a statement.

Mushaib Fayaz Baba alias Shoaib (20) and Hilal Yaqoob Deva alias Sethi Soab (35) hail from Shopian district in south Kashmir and were working for Pakistan-based commanders and handlers of proscribed terror organisations such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its shadow outfit The Resistance Front (TRF), among others.

The agency said the arrests came on the heels of a series of raids on the residences of over-ground workers (OGWs) of the banned organisations and their newly-floated offshoots and affiliates in recent days.

Several digital devices were seized and scrutinised by the agency as part of its investigations in the case, it said.

The investigations revealed that two accused were in continuous contact with Pakistan-based commanders and active members of various terror outfits through social media.

“They were working as OGWs of the terrorists and had been actively involved in transporting weapons and funds from one place to another on the directions of Pak-based commanders/handlers, as part of a bigger conspiracy,” the federal agency said.

The conspiracy had been hatched by cadres and OGWs of various proscribed terror organisations with their Pakistan-based commanders, the NIA said.

These cadres and OGWs were actively involved in the collection and distribution of huge consignments of narcotics, cash, small arms or weapons, IEDs and other types of IEDs, including remote-controlled sticky bombs or magnetic bombs, it said.

Such hardware and IEDs are either delivered over drones or also assembled locally for terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, the investigations revealed, the NIA added.

The terror conspiracy was aimed at disturbing peace and communal harmony by carrying out terror acts and waging a war against the Government of India.

According to the investigations, the terror outfits were involved in targeting minorities, migrants and security personnel. The conspiracy had been hatched both physically and through cyberspace by using secured encrypted social media apps, the NIA said in its statement.