One more arrested in IED recovery case in Jammu

Jammu, February 21

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An over ground worker (OGW) of Al-Badr outfit has been arrested in connection with the recent recovery of a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) here, an official said on Sunday.

Nearly seven kilogram IED was recovered from the possession of a nursing student in the Jammu bus stand area on February 13, foiling a major terrorist plan to set off an explosion at a crowded place on the second anniversary of the 2019 Pulwama terror attack in the winter capital.

Rah Hussain Bhat, a resident of Batbagh-Hunipora village of Nehama in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, has been arrested in a case related to the recovery of the IED from Sohail Bashir Shah at Jammu bus stand, Inspector General of police, Jammu zone, Mukesh Singh said.

“He is an OGW and motivator of Al-Badr terror outfit and is involved in conspiracy of providing logistic support to Al-Badr terrorist outfit. He is in direct contact with Pakistan handlers involved in conspiracy to carry out IED attack at Jammu,” Singh said.

Officials said Rah was arrested from his hometown during a raid and is the fifth person arrested in the case.

Earlier on February 14, the IGP said Shah, a resident of Newa village of Pulwama, was pursuing nursing course in a college in Chandigarh and was assigned the task to plant the IED in Jammu by his Pakistan-based handler affiliated with Al-Badr terror outfit.

“He was given four targets, including (the famous) Ragunath mandir, bus stand, railway station and Lakhdata bazar (jewellers market) and was scheduled to take a flight to Srinagar after completing his job,” he had told reporters here.

Besides Shah, others so far arrested in the case included Athar Shakeel Khan, who was supposed to receive Shah at Srinagar airport, his fellow student from Kashmir Qazi Wasim who was aware of the plan and was picked up from Chandigarh and another associate Abid Nabi who was arrested from Srinagar. — PTI