The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested two persons for harbouring the militants, who had killed five innocent civilians in Dhangri village of district Rajouri of Jammu and Kashmir in January this year.
The duo, Nisar Ahmed @Haji Nisar and Mushtaq Hussain, were formally arrested by the NIA on Thursday in the case (RC-01/2023/NIA/JMU), a spokesman said in a statement issued to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO).
They were produced before NIA Special Court, Jammu on Friday and were sent to 12 days NIA custody, the statement said.
Incidentally, both the accused were currently lodged in Central Jail, Kot Bhalwal, Jammu in another case, registered at Police Station Gursai, Mendhar, District Poonch, it added.
On 1st January, 2023, five persons were killed and others seriously injured in an attack by unknown militants. The case was initially registered as FIR number 01/2023 at PS Rajouri under section 302/ 307 /120-B/452/323 of IPC; Sections 13/16/18 of UA (P) Act 1967 and Sections 7/27 of Arms Act. NIA had taken over and re-registered the case on 13th January, the statement added.
“Investigations by the NIA revealed that both the arrested accused persons were involved in harbouring the militants who had carried out the shocking killings of the civilians. They had provided logistics support to the militants for more than two months and had sheltered them in a hideout, which was constructed by the arrested accused persons on the directions of Pakistan based Lashkar-e- Taiyaba (LeT) handlers namely Saifullah @ Sajid Jutt, Abu Qatal @ Qatal Sindhi and Mohd. Qasim,” the statement said.
During the course of investigations of the case pertaining to the killing of innocent civilians at Dhangri, District Rajouri, a team of NIA officials camped for quite sometime in the hilly terrain of Rajouri, Poonch and Reasi districts of J&K and examined a large number of suspicious entities and later zeroed in on the above mentioned accused persons who had provided the hideout, it added.
Further investigations of the case continue to be under process, the spokesman said—(KNO)