The family of Mehraj-ud-Din, who is believed to have a role in the 1999 hijacked plane to Kandahar, claimed on Thursday that he would frequently visit Sopore district of north Kashmir.
Abdul Rashid, elder brother of Din, who was arrested in Jammu on Thursday said: "Last time Din visited Sopore in the autumn of 2010. He stayed with us for some time."
Din, a resident of Sopore's Krankshivan Colony, 55 km north of Srinagar, was first arrested under the Public Safety Act (PSA) in 1992 for "subversive activities" and was later released in 1995.
"On the insistence of the family, Din left for Nepal," said Rashid.
The family claims Din married in Nepal and has a 12-year-old daughter there from a Hindu wife. "Din is running a small shop in Nepal," said Rashid.
According to his family, Din recently underwent a surgery for tumour. "He was not feeling well for the past few weeks so I asked him to return to Kashmir and he agreed," said Rashid.
When Din arrived in Jammu on Sunday, he called his family in Sopore. "We waited for two days and when he didn't turn up we finally called on his driver's mobile number who informed us that Din was arrested on the Jammu-Srinagar highway by the Katra police," added Rashid.
{{/usCountry}}When Din arrived in Jammu on Sunday, he called his family in Sopore. "We waited for two days and when he didn't turn up we finally called on his driver's mobile number who informed us that Din was arrested on the Jammu-Srinagar highway by the Katra police," added Rashid.
{{/usCountry}}Din is a militant commander and provided logistics to the militants involved in the hijacking of IC-814 plane in December 1999. The hijack drama ended with the release of three militant commanders in Afghanistan.