4 LeT militants behind Baramulla attack held

Srinagar: Police today busted a Lashker-e-Taiba terror module in north Kashmir and arrested 10 people, including four militants who were allegedly responsible for gunning down three boys at Baramulla on April 30.

“We have ample evidence to suggest the hand of outlawed Lasher-e-Taiba group in instigating violence and killing innocent people in north Kashmir,” Inspector General of Police (Kashmir range) Swayam Prakash Pani told reporters here.

He said besides the four militants, police had also arrested six over-ground workers (OGWs) who were allegedly active in providing shelter and transportation to the militants. A police spokesman said two of the four militants held were involved in the killing of Haseeb Nabi Khan, Irfan Ahmad Sheikh and Mohammad Asgar Sheikh all residents of Baramulla, on April 30.

“Eyewitness accounts suggested that three to four terrorists were involved in commission of this heinous crime,” the spokesman said. “Out of the three civilians killed, names of two had figured in a threatening video issued by the LeT during the 2016 unrest in the Valley,” he said. 

The police said multiple parties of police, Army and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were tasked to track the culprits. Two AK rifles, Chinese pistols, four hand grenades, 50 AK rounds, four AK magazine and two pistol magazines were found from the militants’ hideout, they said. 

During sustained interrogation of the terrorists, the police and security forces were also able to unearth an LeT module operating in the Sopore-Baramulla belt,” the spokesperson said. The police said the arrests have also helped them to solve the cases of two grenade attacks on Baramulla police station on December 2, 2017 and January 22 this year.