Author: Excelsior Correspondent
Publication: The Daily Excelsior
Date: October 10, 2001
KATHUA, Oct 9: In a major break-through,
the district police have arrested five active harbourers-cum-guides of
the terrorists including a woman from Billawar tehsil and virtually worked
out the killings of two brothers in Ghati area few days back.
The terrorist harbourers were actively
engaged in taking infiltrating Pakistani terrorists from Kathua to upper
reaches of Udhampur and Doda districts. This way, they had successfully
helped several terrorist groups to reach their destinations.
Arrested terrorists have been identified
as Mohd Ashraf son of Ghulam Mohd Bhat of Khaned, Udhampur, presently putting
up in Lohai, Mohd Abbas son of Abdul Sattar of Khaned, presently Malhar
Daed, Billawar, Shamshad Begum wife of Mohd Abbas R/o Khaned, presently
Daed, Billawar, Nizam Din son of Khalid R/o Khaned, presently Lohai and
Mohd Rafiq son of Samdu R/o Khaned.
SP Kathua Manohar Singh said police
parties across the district were on look-out for the sympathisers of terrorists,
who were assisting infiltrators in reaching safe hideouts. Besides, police
also had confirmed reports of some local persons assisting Pakistan-backed
terrorists in killing two brothers Madan Singh and Raj Singh sons of Govind
Singh R/o Ghati.
Accordingly, several police teams
led by DySP (Operations) Kathua under the supervision of SP Manohar Singh
were activated. During week long investigations, police identified the
harbourers of the terrorists and arrested five of them.
Four more local harbourers of the
terrorists have also been identified by police but they were absconding
from their houses, SP Kathua said, adding all of them were Kashmiris settled
at Khaned, Basantgarh. They had recently settled in Billawar as per a strategy
to assist the terrorists.
"None of the arrested persons was
a Gujjar. Infact, involvement of the Gujjars has not at all surfaced in
the kidnapping and killing of two brothers. Reports published to this effect
have not been substantiated", Manohar Singh said. He said Gujjar leaders
were fully co-operating with police.
Police sources said Mohd Ashraf
and Mohd Abbas were working as guides with Shakeel Ansari group of Hizbul
Mujahideen outfit for last about three years. They used to identify safe
routes for Pakistani infiltrators from Kathua to Udhampur and Doda. In
the process Shamshad Begum wife of Mohd Abbas used to play a vital role
by carrying wireless sets and small weapons like Mousers and revolvers
as ladies are hardly frisked by cops.
Duo, according to sources, have
confessed during preliminary questioning by police that they helped in
guiding two groups of active terrorists from Hiranagar International Border
to Khaned in Basantgarh. First group comprising four militants , who were
guided from Hiranagar to Panjtirthi to Billawar from where they were taken
to Udhampur forests by Nizam Din.
This particular group of the terrorists
was intercepted by police in Mastgarh Fort in Rajbagh area but they managed
to escape in view of darkness. The terrorist group, which killed two brothers,
was guided by Ali Mohd of Pakistan and Farooq Ahmed of Khaned.
Arrested persons have also named
the terrorists involved in the killing of a Forest guard at Malhar last
year, killing of a Panch at Loha Nathi in Malhar in May this year and an
IED blast at Machhedi last year.
Further investigations in the case
were on.