High court blast: NIA arrests third Kashmir native

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested another Kishtwar (Jammu and Kashmir) native in connection with its probe into the Delhi High Court blast case, that claimed 15 lives on September 7.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested another Kishtwar (Jammu and Kashmir) native in connection with its probe into the Delhi High Court blast case, that claimed 15 lives on September 7.

HT Image

It is still not clear how Wasim Akram Malik, the third accused, was picked up, as he was supposedly in Bangladesh studying unani medicine.

Initial reports suggested that Bangladeshi authorities handed over Malik to Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW). But a probe agency source later claimed that Malik had joined investigation on the basis of a notice served to him.

Before Malik, the NIA had arrested two Kishtwar residents — Amir Abbas Dev and Abid Hussain in the case.

According to sources, Malik's name first cropped up during the interrogation of a jailed Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) militant Asghar Ali, who is lodged in Jammu's Kot Bhalwal jail.

Interestingly, according to sources, during court proceedings, the NIA described Malik as the key to unravel the conspiracy behind the High Court blast.

However, Malik claimed he was willing to cooperate with investigators and wanted to go back to Bangladesh as soon as possible because he was missing his classes.

He also declined to have a lawyer represent him in court. Investigators are now looking for his brother Junaid Malik, who disappeared from Kishtwar a few years back.