NIA attaches properties of terror operative in Poonch

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Srinagar, November 17

In a continued crackdown on terrorist groups promoting violence and militancy in Kashmir, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has attached the properties of a key terror operative undergoing trial in an Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) case involving the seizure of arms, ammunition, explosives and narcotics.

The accused, Mohd Yaseen, a resident of Poonch district in Jammu, has been identified as an operative of the banned terrorist organisation — Tehreek Ul Mujahideen (TuM). He is lodged in Central Jail, Kote Balwal, Jammu.

Acting on the orders from the NIA special court in Jammu, the anti-terror agency has attached four properties owned by Mohd Yaseen under Section 33 (1) of the UAP Act, 1967. These properties are located in the accused’s village of Dhrooti (Dhabi) in Balakot tehsil of Poonch district. The attached property includes more than seven-acre land (59 kanals and 12 marlas). A team of the NIA under the supervision of Assistant Superintendent of Police PK Megi along with Naib Tehsildar, Balakote, executed the order. Yaseen was arrested on December 27, 2020, during which a cache of arms, ammunition and explosives was recovered from his possession. He was charge-sheeted on June 24, 2021, and has been facing trial under Sections 121-A & 122 of the IPC, read with Section 120B of the IPC, Section 7/25 of the Arms Act 1959, as well as Sections 3 & 4 Explosive Substances Act and Sections 13, 18 & 39 of UAPA.

The case came to light with the arrest of Mohd Mustafa, leading to the subsequent arrest of Mohd Yaseen and another accused, Mohd Farooq. The arrests were accompanied by the recovery of arms, ammunition, explosives and narcotics from their possession. NIA investigations in the case exposed a conspiracy to attack religious places in the Mendhar area with grenades.