Hizbul module unearthed, four operatives arrested

Security forces today unearthed a module of Hizbul Mujahideen by arresting four operatives including two militants in Kashmir. Acting on specific information, a joint cordon of police and 21-RR of Army was laid at Chogal, Handwara during which two persons identified as Mehrajudin and Obaid Shafi Malla were caught while moving in suspicious circumstances.

“Police and Army busted a module of Hizb and arrested two militants from Handwara in North Kashmir and two over ground workers from south Kashmir Awantipora town,” a police spokesman said.

“The duo was asked to stop but they started running away. The Naka party immediately swung into action and caught hold of them. A huge cache of arms and ammunition were recovered,” the spokesman said.

During the investigation, they revealed that they had come to Handwara for receiving ammunition and other war-like stores for their militant outfit in South Kashmir, he said.

“Cyber surveillance unit of JK Police also tracked their social media network accounts and found some incriminating material.They were misusing web-chats to hatch and execute terrorist conspiracies,” he added.

Preliminary investigation found that these militants were members ofa module which would not only recruit youth into militancy by radicalising them over social media but also coordinated their training and arranged arms and ammunition, the spokesman said.

On the disclosure of these two militants, two more members of the module working as OGWs were arrested from Awantipora, he said, adding they were identified as Shahid Ahmad Thoker and Irfan Ahmad, both residents of Awantipora.