The Hindu : National : LeT module busted in J&K

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
ePaper

National

National

LeT module busted in J&K

Shujaat Bukhari

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Tuesday claimed to have busted a 13-member module of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) involved in several attacks, including one on the house of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, head of moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference.

Police said the group, with a woman member, was also planning to intensify attacks after the government offices reopened in Srinagar on May 7 for summer.

Inspector-General of Police, Kashmir zone, Shiv Murari Sahai, told reporters that the module was working under the direct command of Abu Tahir, Pakistani commander of LeT, based in north Kashmir. "This module was responsible for killing policemen, police sources [informers] and political activists and also lobbing grenades in public areas causing death and destruction," he said.

Stating that investigations in these cases had revealed a significant shift in Kashmir militancy — its criminalisation. Mr. Sahai said Rafiqa, a woman from Pattan, was also involved in helping the militants. "It was revealed that Rafiqa had conspired with the members of this militant group to have her husband Manzoor Ahmad Ganai eliminated. There is strong suspicion that this woman had got her first husband eliminated in the same fashion."

Mr. Sahai said the group admitted that it was responsible for attacking the house of the Mirwaiz on January 15 this year when he was leaving for Pakistan. It had also attacked the office of the Hurriyat Conference in Rajbagh area and was responsible for grenade attacks in the city. These boys were working under the name of "Siddique Group."

He said that interrogation of these militants revealed that it was a classical example of outsourcing militant acts. "This module was executing different acts of militancy on behalf of another outfit — Hizb-ul-Mujahideen — also. And they were not only paid by the LeT but also by the Hizb." Mr. Sahai said the group was planning to launch grenade attacks and other acts of terror during the Darbar move. The police had recovered three AK rifles and ammunition from the group.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National