The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday arrested deputy superintendent of the Amphalla prison, Jammu, for “assisting a Hizbul Mujahideen militant inside a jail in 2017 to send youth for arms training in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).”
An NIA spokesman said Feroze Ahmad Lone, posted as deputy jail superintendent in the Central Jail Srinagar in 2017, “actively assisted Hizbul Mujahideen militant Ishaq Palla, then lodged in the jail, to motivate two youth to take up arms training in PoK.”
The spokesman said Suhail Ahmad Bhat and Danish Ghulam Lone were arrested when they were planning to travel to PoK for arms training “for waging war against the state.”
“They were motivated by Palla, who was instrumental in hatching the conspiracy from the jail. In this conspiracy, he was actively assisted by Lone. The conspiracy meeting at the Central prison Srinagar was held on October 25, 2017,” said the NIA.
He said the accused persons were in contact with each other through blackberry messenger during the whole of October before they were apprehended by the police on October 30, 2017.
“The investigation is continuing to unearth the larger conspiracy,” said the spokesman.
Candidates warned
Meanwhile, the Hizbul Mujahideen on Tuesday warned people against participating in the upcoming panchayat polls in J&K.
“Our (militant) families are targeted these days to prepare the ground for the panchayat polls. We warn candidates that they should buy shroud too when they fill the form for the polls,” said Riyaz Naikoo, ‘operational commander’, in a 12-minute audio released online.
He said the outfit have “procured hydrochloric and sulphuric acid for people who are planning to contest elections.”
The militant ‘commander’ asked shopkeepers to remove CCTV cameras. “We do not want the activities of militants to be recorded on the cameras,” said Naikoo.
