Mobile phone, SIM cards seized from JeM commander lodged in Jammu's high-security jail

The Jammu and Kashmir police seized mobile phones and SIM cards from three inmates of the high-security Kot Bhalwal jail here during a surprise search operation on Saturday, officials said.

Of the three inmates from whom the mobile phones and SIM cards were seized, one was top Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) commander Abdul Rehman Mughal of Pakistan, they said.

The raid in the jail was conducted by a police team led by Senior Superintendent of Police, Jammu, Shridhar Patil, hours after the arrest of a JeM overground worker from near the International Border (IB) in R S Pura sector on Friday night.

Mohammad Muzaffar Beigh (24), a resident of the Handwara area of north Kashmir's Kupwara district, was arrested during a late night raid on a house in Chakroi village and his interrogation led the police to Kot Bhalwal jail, the officials said.

They said Beigh had reached Chakroi village of R S Pura on March 17 and was residing in the house of a local since the lockdown was imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus. The owner of the house has also been taken into custody for questioning, officials said.

During the raid in jail, the police team seized three mobile phones and two SIM cards, a charger, a headphone and a memory card from Mughal, Farhan Fayaz Lillu of Baramulla district and Deepak Singh of Satraiyan village of R S Pura, they said, adding a case has been registered and further investigation is on, the officials said.

Earlier, a police official said some incriminating documents were recovered from Beigh, whose questioning revealed his links with JeM terrorists.

"The man is a hardcore overground worker. Some more arrests are expected at his disclosure," the official said, adding a case under relevant sections of the IPC and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act was registered against him and further probe was on.