The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Monday arrested an Al Qaeda operative from the Ramban district of Jammu region. The police identified the arrested accused as Amiruddin Khan, a resident of Mashita Haora in West Bengal. A Chinese grenade has been recovered from him.
Police said the accused was hiding in the area under the garb of a religious scholar. An FIR has been registered at Ramban police station under sections of the Arms Act, section 4 of the Explosives Act and sections 13 and 20 (member of a terrorist gang or organisation) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The police said the investigation is underway.
Two months ago, security forces killed two militants owing allegiance to Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, an affiliate of Al Qaeda, in an encounter in the Anantnag district.
Earlier on August 2, in a grenade blast aimed at a police post in Ramban, two personnel suffered minor injuries in the blast. A week later, police arrested two terrorists in connection with the attack in the Ramban district. They were identified as Shah Din Padyar and Mohammad Farooq, both residents of the Gool area in the district.
“The Ramban district was already put on high alert in the run-up to Independence Day, and the sentry was alert due to which, a major attack was averted and the grenade exploded close to the barracks of jawans. Due to this explosion, two police personnel – Follower Lal Singh and SPO Shakeel Ahmed – sustained minor splinter injuries. The terrorists, taking advantage of the darkness, had fled from the spot,” the police had said.
On November 3, the army foiled an infiltration bid and gunned down three terrorists in an encounter along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district, officials said.