IC-814 hijack suspect to be sent to Joint Interrogation Cell

"Top militant Mehrajuddin Wani alias Javed Dand arrested by police in Kishtwar will be sent to Joint Interrogation Cell (JIC) for thorough interrogation to know further details about various cases, including the hijack", a senior police officer told PTI today.

He is likely to be shifted to JIC in Jammu by tomorrow. Police has also registered case against him.

"He is a store house of information and knows of various terror acts in Jammu and Kashmir and outside-- and also about top Pakistan-based terrorists", he said.

On specific information that he was travelling from Nepal to Kashmir, Mehrajuddin was arrested in Kishtwar district, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Jammu Zone, Dilbagh Singh told reporters here.

Mehrajuddin was one of the first five militants who launched militancy in Jammu and Kashmir in 1987 and later crossed over to PoK in 1989 to get arms training returning after three months, he said.

He belongs to militancy-hit Sopore town of north Kashmir and was a member of UJC, an umbrella group of several militant outfits and had close relations with United Jihad Council (UJC) chief Syed Salahuddin and underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's D-company.

Referring to his name figuring in the IC-814 hijack case, the IGP said, "We suspect that his services had been used (in the hijacking). He knew about the hijacking-- he was there (in Nepal) when the aircraft was hijacked in 1999".

"But he has not revealed anything about his direct involvement in it", he said.

"But we are investigating all this", the IGP said, adding, that he is a big catch for the security agencies.