10 picked up in Valley in arms seizure case

Sanjay Pathak
Jammu, September 28

Security agencies have taken into custody 10 suspects in connection with a case involving alleged transportation of arms and ammunition to the Valley from Punjab.

On September 12, the J&K police had arrested three Jaish terrorists and seized four AK-56 and two AK-47 rifles, six magazines and 180 rounds of ammo from a truck at Lakhanpur near Kathua.

Suspects Bashir and Sohail were brought to the Lakhanpur police station for joining the dots in the case, said sources. Ubaid-ul-Islam, a resident of Rajpora in Pulwama, was the mastermind. Following  Internet curbs after Article 370 was abrogated, Ubaid is learnt to have moved to Delhi as he was unable to contact his Pak handlers, among them Kashmir-origin militant Ashiq. Ubaid allegedly pressured truck driver Shabil Ahmed, who belonged to his village, and cleaner Jahangir to load a ration consignment from Delhi and then pick a bag containing the rifles and ammo in Punjab while on way back to Kashmir, said sources. 

Sohail, a physical education teacher from Ashiq’s village, was said to be keen on joining militants. Bashir was tasked to collect the arms in Kashmir. Sources said it was unclear where these were to be supplied.