NIA raids two JeM terrorists involved in Pulwama attack

NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency on Wednesday conducted raids at the residences of two Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists from South Kashmir – Mudassir Ahmad Khan and Sajjad Bhat — who played a key role in the February 14 Pulwama car borne suicide bombing in which 40 CRPF jawans were martyred.

Mudassir Khan, sources say, is a senior Jaish member who was working closely with Kamran and Ghazi Ahmed to plan and execute the deadly suicide bombing. TOI had first reported on February 20 about Mudassir being part of Pulwama conspiracy and that security forces are looking for him.

Sajjad Bhat, a resident of Brijbehara in Anantnag, has already been identified by NIA as the one who bought the Maruti Eeco van, used in the bombing, 10 days before the attack. The car was identified using its Chassis number and engine number with the help of Maruti Suzuki experts. It was sold to one Jaleel Haqqani in 2011 and had been resold seven times before final purchase by Bhat.

The NIA teams, on Wednesday, also conducted raid at the houses of active OGWs (Over Ground Workers) of Jaish-e-Mohammad in Tral, Awantipora and Pulwama areas of South Kashmir during which incriminating materials including diaries containing coded writings were seized.

Apart from the JeM terrorists and OGWs, the searches were also conducted at the premises of three separatist leaders of South Kashmir - Mohammad Shaban Dar, Shawkat Maulvi and Yasmine Raza, in the J&K terror funding case.

Officials said they have recovered documents related to terror funding, coded messages and Jihadi literature, property details, documents relating to financial and monetary transactions, electronic devices, mobile phones, sim cards etc from the separatists.