Jammu and Kashmir Police has claimed to have busted an Over Ground Worker (OGW) network of militant outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) in Jammu and Kashmir’s border district of Rajouri by arresting three accused persons and seizing an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) on their disclosure.
“The arrest of three OGWs was made during the investigation of a terror module operating in the Pir Panjal region,” a police spokesman said.
The preliminary investigation, he said, has revealed that the accused were allegedly involved in providing logistical support, safe transit and other ground-level assistance to terrorists.
The arrested persons were identified as Zakir Hussain S/o Ghulam Hussain, Mohammad Azam S/o Ali Bahadur, both residents of Kotcharwal Teryath, Rajouri and Mohammad Mushtaq S/o Mohammad Iqbal R/o Udhan, Rajouri.
Police has launched a crackdown against OGWs across Jammu and Kashmir, especially in border districts of Poonch and Rajouri.
The OGWs act as eyes and ears of militants and provide logistics and other support to the militants.
“The investigation has revealed that the three accused allegedly acted as guides and facilitated the movement of terrorist groups towards Kashmir,” the police spokesman said.
They are also suspected to have provided ground support to militants linked with multiple high-profile attacks, including an attack targeting civilians.
“During the course of investigation, an IED was recovered on the disclosure of one of the accused. The preliminary findings indicate that the device had allegedly been handed over to the accused by members of a terrorist group for safe custody and its possible use in a targeted attack,” the police spokesman said.
He said police is continuing the investigation to establish the complete network, identify additional associates and ascertain the full extent of the accused person’s involvement.
