NIA attaches Valley house of militant 'ally' charged with sheltering LeT operatives for 16 years

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has attached the property of a Srinagar resident arrested in April for allegedly sheltering two Pakistani militants who had evaded arrest for 16 years.

The two Pakistanis had blended with the local population while building networks outside the Union Territory.

An NIA statement said a residential property belonging to Ghulam Mohammad Mir alias Mama Gas, a resident of Srinagar’s Danihama with an alleged link to a cross-border terrorist conspiracy involving the Lashkar-e-Toiba, was attached under Section 25 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

“The investigation has established a direct nexus between the property and the terrorist conspiracy, as the premises were allegedly used for harbouring Pakistani terrorists and concealing incriminating material connected with the terror network,” a spokesperson for the NIA said.

The NIA said the case was originally registered on March 31 at Zakoora police station and was subsequently taken over and re-registered by the central agency.

It said the investigation had exposed a network of local over-ground workers allegedly working in coordination with Pakistan-based LeT handlers to facilitate the infiltration, movement, shelter and logistical support of Pakistani terrorists for carrying out attacks against government establishments, security forces and civilians.

The agency said Mir’s residential premises were searched on April 3, which led to “the detection of two suspected Pakistani terrorists, identified as Abu Huraira and Khubaib”.

“An explosive-like substance, digital devices and other incriminating material were also recovered and seized from the premises. The investigation further revealed that the accused had knowingly provided his residential premises as a safe haven for the terrorists and had allowed the property to be used for facilitating their activities,” the NIA said.

The arrests were part of a wider crackdown during which the police had “busted an interstate militant module” and rounded up a local woman called Shazia Mohammad, among others.

Hurairah and Khubaib had evaded arrests for 16 years. The searches to hunt them were conducted across multiple states, including Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab.

Police sources said one of the foreign militants, who was part of the network, had managed to flee the country with the help of forged documents and the LeT network in other states.