Lalchowk attack SIM providers held

AHMED ALI FAYYAZ

SRINAGAR, Jan 13: In a major breakthrough, Special Operations Group (SOG) of Jammu & Kashmir have apprehended two persons involved in providing SIM cards to the Lashkar-e-Toiba militants who died in a high drama gunbattle at the business hub of Lalchowk here last week. SOG sleuths are conducting a series of raids in Srinagar as well as in Sopore in search of two more persons who had allegedly facilitated the militant attack on Police.

Informed sources revealed to Early Times that SOG Srinagar today achieved a major breakthrough in last week’s fidayeen attack at Lalchowk as two persons, allegedly in providing SIM cards of Aircel company, have been arrested. Sources said that all through the gunbattle, one unidentified Lashkar functionary from Pakistan was in constant contact from his phone No: 0092-3558130020 with one of the two militants in Lalchowk on their Aircel mobile No: 0091-9697461504.

Two persons, who had allegedly facilitated the fidayeen attack and were involved in providing the SIM card to the two militants, have been identified as Mohammad Lateef of New Colony, Sopore, and Riyaz Ahmed of Rangreth, Srinagar. Sources said that both of them were arrested in a series of raids in Sopore and Srinagar outskirts in Old Airport area. They are said to have spilled the beans during sustained interrogation and identified two more of their associates as Rayees Ahmed and Javed Ahmed, both residents of Sopore. Sources said that SOG sleuths were conducting a series of raids in Srinagar and Sopore localities in search of the two persons identified by the detainees, Lateef and Riyaz.

Two militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba, identified as Manzoor Ahmed Bhat alias Usman S/o Ghulam Rasool Bhat R/o Seer Jagir, Sopore, and Qari, a Pakistani national, had been killed by Srinagar Police and CRPF on January 7th after they attacked a Police party, killing the driver of SHO Maisuma, near Palladium Cinema in Lalchowk on January 6th and later took positions at the nearby Hotel Punjab. This fidayeen-style strike from militants had been witnessed in this capital city after October 2006.

Security and intelligence agencies have reportedly informed the state and Central governments about the telephonic conversation between the Lashkar commanders from Pakistan and those holed up in Lalchowk.

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