J-K police foils terror plot, arrests terrorists associated with JeM, LeT

Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], February 14 (ANI): Police recently foiled a terror attack and arrested terrorists associated with Pakistani terror groups Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), said Jammu and Kashmir's Director General of Police (DGP), Dilbagh Singh on Sunday.

"Police recently arrested the chiefs of Pakistani terror groups Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed's India-based outfits– The Resistance Front and Lashkar-e-Mustafa respectively," said Singh.

Addressing the media after the police foiled a major terror attack in with the recovery of an IED of 6-6.5 kilogram in Jammu, Singh said that both outfits -- The Resistance Front and Lashkar-e-Mustafa -- were involved in multiple terror-related activities in the country in past few years.

Police also recovered 15 small IEDs and six pistols along with ammunition from Samba.

"Lashkar-e-Mustafa became active in August 2020. Police have arrested its commander Hedayatullah Malik. He was active for a long time in the terrorism-related world. He worked for long for OGW, and later on JeM's directions, he built a local outfit. He was currently trying to make a local hideout in Jammu. He has also built a network where he was bringing in weapons from Bihar and exporting them for different terror-related works," said Singh.

Malik, who was arrested last week, was also involved in the recce of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval's office on instructions of his Pakistani handler whom he called 'doctor'

The DGP informed that Malik had built a network where he recruited Kashmiri-based students studying in Punjab to transport weapons from Bihar and other parts of the country.

Singh added that The Resistance Front's commander Zahoor Ahmad Rather was arrested on Saturday. Rather was wanted in connection with the killing of three BJP workers and a policeman in south Kashmir last year.

"He was also involved in looting a cash van of a bank in Sopian. Four of his associates including his wife have also been arrested. He used to work for Hizbul Mujahideen. He surrendered in 2006. He was again activated by JeM in 2019," said the DGP. (ANI)