PoK-based militant’s network on police radar

Arjun Sharma

Jammu, October 9

The increased terror incidents during the past sometime have brought the attention of the police and the military intelligence towards Mohammad Amin Bhat, alias Khubaib, a terrorist, who operates from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Khubaib hails from Doda district. He fled to the PoK more than two decades ago.

According to the police, Khubaib, a member of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), has been trying to revive terrorism in Jammu division. For this, many former terrorists, who have surrendered, are also being roped in to place IEDs and sticky bombs at different locations in the region.

Khubaib was behind the recent attack in two buses wherein IEDs were placed inside two buses in Udhampur. The blasts had left two persons injured.

Sources in the military intelligence say the ISI and the terror organisations have been helping Khubaib in dumping IEDs along the Line of Control (LoC) and the international border that are then picked up by Khubaib’s men on this side. These explosives are later used by sleeper cells in terror activities.

In a sticky bomb blast in March in Udhampur near Slathia Chowk, a person lost his life and many others were injured. A sleeper cell, Mohammad Ramzan Sohil, a resident of Ramban, was later caught and had confessed his crime. He had informed that Khubaib was his handler and they had been in touch through social media.

Interestingly, Khubaib was not only instructing the sleeper cells to place IEDs but also providing financial help for the same. Khubaib has been able to build a network wherein he also provides money to the sleeper cells for the task given by him.

On June 6 this year, Army men and cops had apprehended a terrorist from Kastigarh area of Doda who had stored explosive material on the directions of Khubaib.

As per information provided by intelligence sources, Khubaib, born on January 1, 1981, is a resident of Kathawa in Thatri of Doda district. He fled to PoK in 1997 for training and is still operating from there. His father Dawood Bhat is a farmer and brother Safdar Ali a labourer. Farooq Ahmad, another brother of Khubaib, was expelled from a government job for his involvement in terrorism. Khubaib also has four sisters.

“While the security and intelligence agencies do not have a direct control over the activities of Khubaib living in PoK, his network is on the radar and his associates are being apprehended one after another in different parts of Jammu region,” said an intelligence official.

ADGP Mukesh Singh, during a recent media conference after a terrorist was arrested in Udhampur bus blast case, had said Khubaib was behind many terror incidents in Jammu division.

Fled to PoK in 1997

• Mohammad Amin Bhat, alias Khubaib, hails from Kathawa in Doda district. He fled to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in 1997 for training and is still operating from there.
• He handles a terror network in the Union Territory, provides explosives and financial help to sleeper cells for triggering attacks on his directions.
• The name of Khubaib has figured in several attacks.

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