SRINAGAR: Federal investigator, National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a Poonch resident after getting him deported from Dubai, where he was working. He was arrested after he landed in Jammu, reports appearing in the media said.
Identified as Shahid Naveed, a resident of Mendhar in Poonch, the NIA has accused him of being a close associate of Sher Ali, the main coordinator and facilitator of militant activities of various groups in the area. Sher Ali was arrested on February 17. After the police investigations revealed the details about militancy, the NIA took over the case.
“Both Ali and Naveed were operating from Kuwait, and their involvement in terror activities surfaced during the investigation of a case lodged in Mendhar police station last year following the killing of two Pakistani terrorists affiliated with the JK Ghaznavi Force in an encounter at Surankote in Poonch on December 13,” Jammu newspaper Daily Excelsior reported. “Sources said the Government of India had taken up deportation of Shahid Naveed with Kuwait where he was working but also running terror module simultaneously. A detailed dossier had been sent to Kuwait Government, based on which he was deported after Kuwait Government was satisfied with proof against the individual.”
The newspaper said that NIA arrested Naveed at Jammu Airport soon after he landed. The court remanded Naveed to NIA for eight days.
“A police investigation had revealed that Ali facilitated the entry of the two terrorists from the Dabbi area of Balakote on the intervening night of November 24 and 25 last year at the behest of Pakistani handler Sultan, the officials said.
Ali headed a network of Over Groundworkers who were behind the smuggling of arms and ammunition, besides narcotics,” the newspaper reported. “Ali’s father Mushtaq Ahmed and sister Raskeem Akhter were arrested by Poonch police on September 11 for receiving the arms consignment from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and an FIR stands registered in Mendhar in this connection, police had said.”
Earlier, police arrested five Over Groundworkers — Mustafa, Mohd Yaseen, Younis, Irfan and Raskeem in the same case. Their arrest led to the recovery of five pistols, 13 grenades and one live improvised explosive device (IED).
