In a major development, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday arrested two more people in the Pulwama attack case after senior officials of the NIA raided their house on Monday night. This comes four days after the NIA had made a major breakthrough arresting one person who provided shelter to the suicide bomber Adil Ahmad Dar.
As per reports, a father-daughter duo named Tariq Ahmad Shah and Insha Tariq has been arrested from Lethpora area for their involvement in the terror attack. These arrests were made on the basis of the revelations done by Shakir Bashir Magrey, another suspect who was arrested by the anti-terror probe agency on February 28.
Magrey, a resident of Hajibal, Kakapora in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, is an overground worker (OGW) of the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) terror group. According to the agency sources, Magrey allegedly provided shelter and other logistical assistance to the Pulwama suicide bomber. He was sent to 15 days’ NIA custody by a special NIA court in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Magrey during his interrogation disclosed that on several occasions he collected and delivered arms, ammunition, cash and explosive materials to JeM terrorists, including those involved in the Pulwama attack”, the NIA said on February 28.
Magrey was also involved in modifying the Maruti Eeco car and fitting IED to it in early February 2019. He had further revealed that he harboured Adil Ahmad Dar and Pakistani terrorist Mohammad Umar Farooq in his house from late 2018 till the attack in February 2019, and assisted them in the preparation of the improvised explosive device (IED).
Magrey’s shop is located near Lethpora bridge, and as advised by Mohammad Umar, he started conducting reconnaissance of the movement of CRPF convoys on Jammu-Srinagar Highway in January 2019 and informed Mohammad Umar and Adil Ahmad Dar about it.
The explosives used in the attack were determined through a forensic probe to be ammonium nitrate, nitroglycerin and RDX.
The other key terrorists involved in the attack have been found to be Muddasir Ahmad Khan, JeM’s Divisional Commander of South Kashmir killed in an operation by security forces on March 11, last year; Pakistani terrorists — Muhammad Umar Farooq and IED expert Kamran, both killed on March 29 last year; the owner of the car — Sajjad Ahmad Bhat, a resident of Anantnag who was killed on June 16 last year and Qari Yassir, JeM’s Commander for Kashmir who was killed on January 25 this year.
Some vehicles in a convoy of 78 buses carrying around 2,500 security personnel on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway were rammed by an explosive-laden vehicle driven by a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad at Lethpora in Pulwama district on February 14 last year, resulting in the death of over 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel and the attacker.