5 LeT workers arrested for bank robbery

Srinagar, November 25

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Five alleged overground workers (OGWs) of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) were arrested from Pulwama as the police today claimed to have busted a module responsible for looting nearly Rs 14 lakh from a bank in Budgam district of Central Kashmir early this week.

However, the mastermind behind the robbery — a local militant and his two foreign associates — are still at large and efforts are on to nab them and recover the stolen money, a police spokesman said.

On November 21, a group of unidentified gunmen barged into Malpora Branch of J&K Bank in Charar-e- Sharif area of Budgam and decamped with Rs 14 lakh.

“Based upon specific leads about the incident, the police zeroed in on one Mohammad Iqbal Wani of Chewa Kalan in Pulwama district of south Kashmir. His arrest and disclosures led to arrest of two more persons — Farooq Ahmad Bhat and Tanvir Alam Wani, also residents of Chewa Kalan,” he said.

“During questioning, it was found that the trio ran an OGW module of LeT terror outfit. They revealed that conspiracy of robbing the Malpora branch was hatched and masterminded by one Arif Dar, alias Abu Haibat-ul-Lah, of Lelhar Kakapora, who is an active local terrorist of the LeT outfit, along with two other terrorists of foreign origin, identified by their codes, Abu Ali and Abu Ismail,” the spokesman said.

“The group also used the services of Tanvir Bhat and Raqeeb Rather, residents of Chewa Kalan, who were also arrested,” he said. — PTI