New Delhi: The Delhi police Sunday arrested a former Indian Army personnel on the suspicion of being an active operative of the terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba. The Army man was wanted in connection with a terror module busted by Jammu and Kashmir police last month.
Delhi police officers said Ahmad, who retired from the Indian Army on 31 January last year, is alleged to have received a consignment of arms and ammunition from two Kupwara men — Khursheed Ahmad Rather and Ghulam Sarwar Rather — who have been arrested by the J&K police in this case.
The arms consignment, said police, was sent by LeT operatives based across the border — Manzoor Ahmad Sheikh and Qazi Mohammad Khushal. The Jammu and Kashmir police had busted the terror module on 27 January.
The crackdown led to the arrest of five operatives in Kupwara and Deputy Commissioner of Police, Railways, K.P.S. Malhotra said the J&K [olice had shared “specific information” that Ahmad was to reach New Delhi railway station in the early hours of Sunday.
He added that Ahmad was returning from Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh and was set to go into hiding before he was arrested by police officers deployed at the New Delhi railway police station.
“The alert staff acted promptly and identified the alleged Riyaz Ahmad in the crowd and apprehended him when he was trying to flee from exit gate No. 1 of New Delhi Railway Station in the early morning hours. Alleged operative was subjected to intensive interrogation, and it was revealed that he and his friend Altaf had boarded Mahakaushal Express from Jabalpur and reached Hazarat Nizamuddin railway station at about 3:00 PM on 03.02.2024. From there they took an auto and reached NDRS. Riyaz Ahmad Rather was about to go to some other hideout,” DCP Malhotra said in a statement.
It added, “Alleged Riyaz Ahmad is suspected of having received a consignment of arms and ammunition from Khursheed Ahmad Rather S/o Lt Mohd. Yousuf Rather R/o New Gabra Karnah Kupwara J&K and Ghulam Sarwar Rather S/o Mohd Yousuf Rather R/o New Gabra Karnah Kupwara both already arrested by J&K Police. Accused Riyaz Ahmad and his friend Altaf retired from the Indian Army on 31.01.2023.”
The Kupwara module
The Jammu and Kashmir police busted the cross-border module dealing in arms arresting five terrorists and seizing ammunition.
“The Kupwara Police has busted a terror module by arresting five terror associates in Karnah area of the district and recovered a cache of arms and ammunition,” Jammu and Kashmir police had said in a statement.
It had said that two LeT operatives — Manzoor Ahmad Sheikh alias Shakoor and Qazi Mohammad Khushal — were supplying arms and ammunition to Kupwara which were then transported to other operatives through their aide Zahoor Ahmad Bhat.
The police first arrested Bhat and later arrested Ahmad Rather, Mudassir Shafiq, Ghulam Sarwar Rather and Qazi Fazal Illahi on inputs he gave. Their suspected handlers in PoK belonged to Karnah tehsil in Kupwara district.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that in the recent past the above two handlers from across were in touch with the said Zahoor who hails from a village which is in proximity with LoC by various means. The consignments dispatched to this side from across were thereafter delivered to other terror associates who were in contact with Zahoor Ahmad Bhat and the said handlers as well,” the Jammu and Kashmir police had said in a statement.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)