A major terror strike in Jammu has been averted with the police smashing an inter-state Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) module by arresting their four terrorists who were tasked by their handler in Pakistan to collect weapons that were to be dropped by a drone somewhere near Amritsar in Punjab and also plant an IED in Jammu before Independence Day.
During interrogation, one of the arrested terrorists Ijahgar Khan belonging to UP told the police that a JeM commander Munazir alias Shahid had told them to collect weapons from near Amritsar and also do reconnaissance of the vital Panipat Refinery which he did and sent the videos to Pakistan.
He was then tasked to do the reconnaissance of Ayodhya’s Ram Janmabhoomi temple but was arrested before he could accomplish this task.
Additional Director General of Police (Jammu) Mukesh Singh said that besides local strikes, these terrorists were also asked to do reconnaissance of important targets in other parts of the country.
Muntazir Manzoor of Pulwama Pulwama was the first to be arrested in this chain and from him, one pistol, one magazine, eight live rounds, and two Chinese hand grenades were recovered. His truck used for transporting weapons to the Kashmir valley was also seized. Subsequently, three more JeM terrorists were arrested and they have been identified as Ijahgar khan @ Sonu Khan of Shamli in UP, Touseef Ahmad Shah of Shopian and Jahangir Ahmad Bhat of Pulwama in Kashmir.
Touseef was tasked by Pakistani handlers Shahid and Abrar to hire an accommodation in Jammu which he did. He was then asked to procure a second-hand motorcycle for causing an IED blast in Jammu. The IED for this purpose would be dropped by a drone but Touseef was arrested before he could complete this task.
Jahangir, a fruit trader in Kashmir, was in constant touch with Shahid in Pakistan and had introduced Ijahgar Khan to him. He was also doing recruitment for JeM in the Kashmir valley and elsewhere in the country, the ADGP said.