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JAMMU: J&K Police has apprehended nine terror associates identified as enemy agents who had been receiving Pakistani terrorists following their infiltration through the International Border in the Samba-Kathua sector. Subsequently, they guided the terrorists to the upper regions of Udhampur, Kathua, and Doda districts near the Kailash mountain, which sits at the junction of these three districts.
The leader of the network has been identified as Mohammad Lateef, also known as Haji Lateef, a resident of Ambe Naal, Kathua, who was aiding the terrorists by providing shelter in dhoks after their infiltration from Pakistan. He was responsible for sheltering three terrorists who were killed in the Gandoh area of Doda district and two others eliminated by security personnel in Hiranagar. Lateef had been evading arrest since the Hiranagar incident.
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A senior police official told The New Indian that a total of 50 individuals residing in dhoks (temporary summer huts) in the mountains for grazing their livestock have been questioned by the police for allegedly providing shelter to the terrorists, including those involved in the martyrdom of five Army soldiers, among them a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), at Badnota near Machedi in the Billawar area of Kathua district on July 8.
“They provided food, shelter, or communication assistance to the foreign terrorists. However, only a few failed to report this to the police. Some even accepted money from the terrorists. Those who reported to the police in time are being considered innocent,” the official stated.
The liability of others is under scrutiny, including any prior connections with terrorists and their handlers across the border, the official added.
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Urging the public to inform the police immediately of any contact with terrorists, the police officials warned that failure to report such acts, besides being a criminal offence, could negatively impact the person’s access to government benefits.
“Arrested members of the module have confirmed that the three terrorists killed in an encounter with security forces in the Gandoh area of Doda district on June 26 were aided by them in evading detection and travelling until they reached the upper areas,” the official said.
Police said that the ringleader, Mohammad Lateef, acted as a guide and logistician for the group of terrorists moving through the area. He involved and instructed others in their roles as regional guides and food providers.
In addition to the ringleader, the other eight terror associates arrested by the police as enemy agents include Akhter Ali, son of Rashid of Ambe Naal; Saddam and Kushal, both brothers and residents of Bhadu, Billawar; Noorani, son of Meer of Juthana; Maqbool, son of Mohammad Lateef of Soffain; Liaquat, son of Haji Lateef; Kasim Din, son of Shahin Din; and Khadim, also known as Qazi, son of Baza, resident of Kattal, Bhadu, Billawar, all from Kathua district.
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Another senior police official told The New Indian that “the ringleader, in active collaboration with terrorist handlers across the border, played a pivotal role in receiving foreign terrorists after their illegal and covert entry into India from the Samba-Kathua sector.”
“The module, besides providing initial shelter, food, and other logistics, was also responsible for guiding them to the upper reaches in Udhampur, Kathua, and Doda districts. The terrorists were then taken to the Kailash mountain, which is at the centre of the tri-junction of these three districts,” the police official added.
Lateef’s sustained interrogation is ongoing, but it is believed that he has assisted other groups of terrorists in reaching the upper regions of Udhampur, Doda, and Kathua following their infiltration from the International Border in Samba and Kathua districts.
