Early Times Report
Jammu, Apr 23: In a major counter-terrorism breakthrough, the Jammu and Kashmir Police on Thursday busted a module of the banned outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Srinagar, arresting four overground workers (OGWs), including a young woman student, and recovering arms and ammunition from their possession.
The operation was carried out in the Ahmednagar area on the outskirts of Srinagar, where a checkpoint had been established near the Dagarpora forest. Police intercepted a suspicious vehicle after the driver attempted to evade checking. The vehicle was stopped, and a search led to the recovery of a grenade, 15 rounds of assault rifle ammunition, and a mobile phone.
The arrested individuals have been identified as Shazia Mohammed, a student, Zahoor Ahmed Mir, Bashir Ahmad Bhat, and Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, all residents of the Hazratbal area. Officials said the arrests were made after preliminary investigation established their links with the LeT.
Investigators have highlighted the role of Shazia Mohammed as particularly significant.
A student by background, she is suspected to have been involved in facilitating communication and logistical support for the module, reflecting an emerging pattern of terror outfits attempting to exploit local youth, including women, to sustain their networks while evading detection.
While police have maintained silence on specific details, sources indicated that the arrested OGWs are being intensively interrogated to uncover the wider network and identify other operatives linked to the module.
Sources further revealed that the Srinagar module has interstate linkages to a terror network recently unearthed in Punjab.
On March 28, in a joint operation, Punjab Police and Jammu and Kashmir Police arrested two suspected Pakistani terrorists—identified as Abbu Gaba and Usman—from the Malerkotla area.
The two accused had reportedly been living in Punjab as tenants and had managed to evade suspicion for years. Their identities surfaced during an investigation linked to a drug trafficking case, with further verification confirming their connection to terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir.
Officials believe the Srinagar-based OGWs were in contact with these operatives, indicating a broader, coordinated network spanning multiple states. Investigations have also pointed to a third Pakistani operative, Umar alias “Khargosh”, who is believed to have escaped abroad using forged travel documents.
The Malerkotla arrests were part of a wider crackdown on anti-national and radical elements in the region. In recent operations, Punjab Police have also detained several local suspects for alleged radicalisation activities and recovered weapons and communication devices.
Security agencies say the latest arrests underscore the growing coordination between state police forces and the increasing reliance on intelligence-led operations to dismantle terror ecosystems. Further investigations are underway, and more arrests are likely as agencies work to map the full extent of the network. |
