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Kathua drone-drop case: 8th accused held
He is the eighth accused to be arrested in the case registered by the NIA on July 30 last year after taking over the case from Kathua police
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested another accused in a case involving the delivery of weapons through drones to militants active in Kashmir, officials said, taking the number of arrests in the case to eight.
A team from the NIA Jammu branch nabbed Zakir Hussain, 22, of Kathua district on Monday, an official spokesperson said.
He is the eighth accused to be arrested in the case registered by the NIA on July 30 last year after taking over the case from Kathua police.
One of the seven accused arrested earlier had died due to cardiac arrest while in judicial custody. Two Pakistan-based terror operatives are absconding, he said.
The seven arrested accused and the two absconders were earlier chargesheeted by NIA on January 12 this year under sections 16, 17, 18, 18B, 20, 23, 38, 39 and 40 of UA (P) Act, 1967, sections 25 (1)(a) and 25(1AA) of the Arms Act, sections 4 and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act and sections 120B, 121A and 122 of the IPC.
According to NIA, the accused were working on the directions of their Pakistani handler, identified as Sajjad Gul. The accused were involved in collecting, receiving and transporting the weapons dropped through drones to terrorists active in the Kashmir valley. The weapons were used to commit terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir.
The local police had initially registered the case following the interception of a drone and seizure of several rounds of UBGL and magnetic bombs near Dhalli area of Rajbagh in Kathua district.
“NIA is continuing with its investigations in the matter to unravel the bigger conspiracy of Pakistan-backed terrorist groups to carry out acts of terror and violence in the Kashmir Valley and across India,” he said.
