Srinagar: The arrest of two overground workers (OGWs) carrying posters of banned terror outfits Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Ansar Ghazwatul Hind (AGuH) has led to the busting of an inter-state and transnational terror module, resulting in the recovery of a major cache of arms and 2,900 kilograms of explosive material, officials said on Wednesday.
According to police, the Srinagar team apprehended the duo on November 2, and within three days, a swift investigation helped unravel a larger terror conspiracy.
Inspector Mir Masrat Aalam, Station House Officer (SHO) of Nowgam Police Station, found during interrogation that the arrested OGWs were linked to a broader network operated by their handler, Moulvi Irfan Ahmad, a native of Shopian who was posing as a prayer leader in a Nowgam mosque, officials said.
Following this revelation, the Nowgam police detained the cleric, who disclosed the involvement of several young doctors working outside Jammu and Kashmir.
“The SHO immediately briefed his superiors, who dispatched a team to Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. With the assistance of local police, they arrested Dr. Adeel Ahmad Rather from a private hospital,” officials said.
Dr. Rather was apprehended on November 6 and brought to Srinagar the next day on a transit remand. His interrogation led to the recovery of an AK rifle from a locker at the medical college where he had worked until October last year.
Further questioning revealed details about explosive stockpiles hidden by other module members in Faridabad and other areas. Acting on this information, police arrested Dr. Muzamil Ahmad Ganaie, who had returned to Pulwama to attend his sister’s wedding. Based on his disclosure, a large quantity of explosives was recovered from his rented accommodation in Faridabad.
Officials added that Ganaie had been employed at a hospital in Faridabad, where Umar Nabi, a prime suspect in the recent Delhi blast case, was also working.
Recognizing his pivotal role in uncovering the module, the SHO has now been sent to the National Capital Region (NCR) to assist in ongoing investigations related to the explosives seizure and the Delhi blast.
Meanwhile, probes in Kashmir have intensified, focusing on individuals linked to the terror network. Dozens, including several doctors associated with Rather, Ganaie, or Nabi, have been questioned. Police have also interrogated Fatima Bano, wife of Moulvi Irfan, officials said.
While some of those questioned are suspected of direct involvement in terror-related activities, others are being examined to understand the recruitment mechanisms used by handlers operating within Jammu and Kashmir or from across the Line of Control, officials added.
