NIA arrests JeM operative involved in Nagrota Army camp attack

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday arrested a Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) operative involved in the Nagrota Army camp terror attack case from Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), officials said.

A senior NIA official said the arrested JeM operative has been identified as Mohammad Ashraf Khandey, a resident of Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir.

He was arrested from the IGIA while he was trying to flee to Saudi Arabia via Sri Lanka.

According to counter-terror probe agency officials, Khandey was a co-conspirator in facilitating, harbouring and transporting a group of three heavily armed Pakistani terrorists belonging to the proscribed terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad who had infiltrated into India from Kathua-Samba sector of Jammu and Kashmir in the intervening night of November 27-28, 2016.

Three armed terrorist attacked the Army camp at Nagrota on November 29, 2016, in which seven Army personnel were martyred and three others were injured. All three Pakistani suicide squad terrorists were killed in the operation and a huge quantity of fire arms, ammunition, explosives and other articles were recovered.

During investigation, the agency has unearthed a well-planned conspiracy and a network of overground workers of JeM was busted which was responsible in facilitating this attack.

Earlier the agency had arrested three accused -- Sayeed Munir-ul-Hassan Qadri, Tariq Ahmed Dar and Mohammad Ashiq Baba -- in the case.

The official said that the NIA's investigation has established the role of all the accused in providing shelter and transportation to the terrorists on the directions of leaders or handlers of JeM based in Pakistan for carrying out the terrorist attack.

The official said the investigation of the case was in final stages and it would soon file a chargesheet in the court.

--IANS

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