NIA files chargesheet against four in connection with JeM attack on CRPF Group Centre in 2017

The NIA has filed a chargesheet against four men in connection with a fidayeen attack by three JeM terrorists on CRPF Group Centre in Lethpura in 2017 in which five personnel were killed, an agency spokesperson said Thursday.

During the operation after the attack on December 30, 2017, all the three Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorists were killed.

The chargesheet has been filed in NIA Special Court, Jammu against Fayaz Ahmad Magray and Nisar Ahmad Tantray from Awantipora, and Syed Hilal Andrabi and Irshad Ahmad Reshi from Pulwama, the spokesperson said.

The NIA had established the identity of the three terrorists. Two were locals -- Fardeen Ahmed Khandey and Manzoor Ahmad Baba, both residents of Pulwama -- and the third was Abdul Shakoor, a resident of PoK, he said.

"Recce of the CRPF Group Centre, Lethpura was done by Noor Mohd Tantray along with other accused during the second week of December 2017. However, before the attack could be launched, Tantray was killed in an encounter with security forces," he said.

Mufti Waqas, a Pakistani terrorist of the JeM who took over as commander after Tantray, immediately started planning the execution of attack at CRPF Group Centre, to retaliate against Tantray's killing, he said.

Accused Syed Hilal Andrabi, Irshad Ahmad Reshi, Fayaz Ahmad Magray, Nisar Ahmad Tantray, Mudasir Ahmad Khan and JeM commander Mufti Waqas (a Pakistani) played a vital role in the conspiracy, the NIA said.

Waqas and Mudasir were later killed in different encounters with security forces, it said.

Magray was an active associate of slain terrorist Tantray and played an active role in planning and execution of this attack, he said.

After the attack, in January 2018, the role of Mudasir, who was an over-ground workers of the JeM, came into knowledge of the police and a raid was conducted at his house.

Magray had helped Mudasir join the JeM militant ranks as an active terrorist by arranging a weapon through JeM commander Mufti Waqas, the agency alleged.

He also allegedly escorted him and helped him cross the police check posts while escaping, it said.

Andrabi and Reshi facilitated the fidayeen attack by providing shelter, extending logistic support and by transporting the fidayeens along with their arms and ammunition immediately before the attack, the NIA alleged.

The fourth accused charge-sheeted namely Nisar Ahmad Tantray is the younger brother of Noor Mohd Tantray and he was also part of the said conspiracy, it said.