news details |
|
|
| Top Hizbul commander arrested in J&K | | ‘Huge cache of arms, explosives recovered from IED expert’ | | Early Times Reporter
Srinagar | Mar 31
The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Monday arrested a top commander of Hizbul Mujahideen along with a huge cache of arms and explosives here.
Rayees Ahmad Dar alias Rayees Kachroo, involved in more than 40 killings, including a number of security personnel, was arrested in a joint operation by police and CRPF in the early hours of the day, Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, S M Sahai told reporters here.
He said three universal machine guns with three magazines, a sniper rifle, an AK-47 rifle with six magazines, 4,000 rounds, three pistols with four magazines, three wireless sets, two rocket launcher with four shells, a hand grenade, three rifle grenades, an improvised explosive device (IED) weighing 25 kgs and three jerry canes filled with 55 litres of liquid explosives were recovered at his behest.
Terming the arrest of the dreaded militant as a prize catch, Sahai said he was an IED expert and involved in many blasts.
Some of the major strikes carried out by him over the past 10 years included IED attacks at Wachi, Khelan, Brah-badina and Kawni in South Kashmir which left over 20 security personnel including an army officer dead, he said.
Thirteen cases of killings of innocent persons, including some political activists and attacks on security forces, stand registered against him at Awantipora police station, he said, adding he was responsible for more than 40 killings.
Sahai said the Hizbul Mujahideen was desperate to carry out attacks, particularly in the city, but the police foiled its plans.
The militants are lacking support of the people, who are fed up with violence, he said, adding the decline in violence noticed over the past six months was encouraging and hopefully will continue.
Referring to the recovery of the powerful IED and liquid explosives from the militant, the IGP said their timely recovery averted major tragedies.
Five litres of the liquid explosive was used by militants in the flyover blast at Jehangir chowk in the city on March 19, which left one person dead and 16 others injured, he said, adding the seized explosive used by militants could have caused major losses.
Kachroo alias ‘Mashund’, a resident of Panzgam village of Pulwama district, came to light when he killed a former militant Abdul Ahad at Dogripora village of Pulwama on July 30, 1999, he said.
Sahai said he continued his activities and masterminded the blasts at Wachi on December 5, 2004, in which nine army personnel including an officer and a civilian driver were killed. His hand was also established in the Khelan blast in Pulwama a few years back in which many army men were killed.
He set off an IED at Lassipora in Pulwama on October 2, 2000 killing five BSF personnel.
He was also brain-behind the IED blast at Brah-badina and Kawni in 2007 in which eight CRPF personnel were killed, the IGP said. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
