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Delhi-bound terrorist with 8 grenades arrested in Jammu
Militants plan terror strikes in Jammu and New Delhi on Independence Day on August 15, say security agencies.
Police said on Monday they have arrested a terrorist on his way to Delhi with eight grenades, which could have been used in Jammu or in the national capital during the Independence Day celebrations next week.
“The arrested militant has been identified as Irfan Wani, the son of Ghulam Husain Wani and a resident of Dangarpora in Awantipora of Pulwama district in Kashmir,” inspector general of police (Jammu) SDS Jamwal said.
Wani was arrested from a Delhi-bound bus late on Sunday, when officials of the special operations group (SOG), the anti-insurgency arm of the state police, intercepted it at posh Gandhi Nagar area of Jammu and took him in their custody. Officials said they also found Rs 60,000 from him.
“They could have been used in Delhi or parts of Jammu on the eve of Independence Day. With his arrest, a major terror plot has been foiled,” Jamwal said.
“We are interrogating this terrorist, who belongs to Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind outfit headed by Zakir Musa but he was in touch with the number two named Rehan,” he added.
The latest incident comes close on the heels of a grenade attack on Jammu Bus Stand on May 24 in which four people, including three policemen, were injured.
A senior intelligence official said on the condition of anonymity that terrorists from Kashmir are regularly travelling unchecked all the way from Kashmir to Jammu.
“We all know that there are only two routes: NH 44 and Mughal Road that connect Kashmir with Jammu. Therefore, these militants travelling all the way from Kashmir to Jammu with arms and ammunition raise a serious question mark on the security grid,” a senior intelligence official said on the condition of anonymity.
“One cannot rule out the possibilities of moles in the system, who are helping them to reach Jammu,” the officer added.
A high alert has already been sounded following intelligence inputs of terrors strikes by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Hizbul Mujahideen in Jammu and New Delhi on Independence Day.
