JAMMU, OCTOBER 21: A police constable among two people have been arrested by Jammu and Kashmir Police from Kashmir’s Anantnag district in connection with the arms dropping in Phallian Mandal area near Jammu by a drone from Pakistan.
Sources identified the arrested persons as Selection Grade Constable Ishfaq Malik of Verinag and Ghulam Rasool of Anantnag. Both have been brought to Jammu for questioning, sources said, adding that they
With this, J&K Police in Jammu have arrested three people in the arms dropping case as it had earlier arrested Irfan Ahmed Bhat from Anantnag on October 12. Associated with Lashkar-e-Toiba, he was allegedly in contact with his handlers in Pakistan.
Police has on the intervening night of October 1-2 had seized a packed dropped in Phalian Mandal area by a drone that came from Pakistan across the international border. The packet contained an AK rifle along with three magazines and 30 rounds, besides an Optical sight.
Accordingly an FIR No. 230/21 under sections 120-B IPC, 7/25 Arms Act and 13,16,18,23 ULAP already stands registered on October 2 last at Satwari police station in this matter.
Sources said that while Irfan was tasked to pick up the packet containing arms and ammunition from Phalian Mandal area and carry it to Kashmir Valley, Ishfaq and Ghulam Rasool had to take it to the militants hideout there as their Pakistani handlers believed that no one will have any suspicion on Ishafq in view of his being a cop.
Cross border Drone activities in Jammu division have registered an increase over the past one year posing a major challenge to the security agencies. Two Indian Air Force personnel had sustained minor injuries and the roof of a building at the Indian Air Force Station here sustained damage following two explosions in the first ever drone attack in Jammu and Kashmir during June this year.
The security forces have so far shot down two drones and recovered huge quantity of arms, ammunition and explosives including sticky bombs dropped by these flying machines from Pakistan from time to time.
