NIA files charge sheet against 4 Jaish-e-Mohammed aides of Pulwama attack mastermind

The NIA had last September filed a charge sheet claiming that JeM’s Sajjad Ahmad Khan, a close aide of Pulwama attack mastermind Mudassir Ahmad Khan, was conspiring terror acts across India.

Soldiers examine the debris after an explosion in Lethpora in south Kashmir's Pulwama district February 14, 2019.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a supplementary chargesheet against four Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) aides of the Pulwama attack mastermind in a case of conspiracy to carry out terror acts nationwide.

Last September, the NIA filed a chargesheet alleging that Sajjad Ahmad Khan of the JeM, a close aide of Pulwama attack mastermind Mudassir Ahmad Khan, was conspiring to carry out terror acts nationwide.

The supplementary chargesheet was filed against four JeM operatives under Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 121-A (waging, or attempting to wage war, or abetting waging of war, against the government of India) of the IPC, and various Sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Explosive Substances Act.

Besides Sajjad Ahmad Khan, 27, the agency filed the chargesheet against Bilal Ahmad Mir, 23, Ishfaq Ahmad Bhat, 24, and Mehraj-ud-Din Chopan, 22. All of them, are residents of Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir.

“Investigation has established that the accused persons are members of the proscribed terrorist organisation JeM, who were planning to carry out terrorist attacks and propagating the activities of JeM,” the NIA said.

“The slain terrorist Mudassir Ahmad Khan was the mastermind of this conspiracy. He was one of the main conspirators in the Pulwama terror attack as well, and was killed in an encounter with the police and security forces in the Tral area of Pulwama on March 10 last year,” the NIA said.

The charges against Mudassir abated after he was killed in an encounter in March 2019, the NIA said in the final report.

According to the agency, Sajjad was in touch with Mudassir while Ishfaq was involved in the transport of arms and ammunition for strengthening the JeM in Kashmir, besides harbouring JeM operatives.

One hand grenade was recovered from Mehraj-ud-din Chopan, and it was procured to be used against the security forces for snatching their weapons. This case pertains to a criminal conspiracy hatched by senior commanders of the JeM to carry out terror attacks in different parts of India, including Delhi-NCR, the NIA said.