JAMMU, JULY 18: The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Monday averted a major terror attack during the ongoing Amarnath yatra and arrested a Jammu bound Lashkar-e-Toiba militant along with arms, ammunition and explosives.
Identifying the arrested militant as Shaukat Ali, son of Mohammad Hussain of Khurbani village in Rajouri district, police sources said that he frequently used to visit Jammu city as a trader and buy items for sale at his native place. He used to stay in Talab Khatikan area of Jammu city, they said, adding that the arrest came on disclosures from a shopkeeper of Triath in Rajouri district.
As police in Jammu received information about Shaukat’s travel plan to Jammu, it immediately contacted its Rajouri counterpart and he was apprehended from near Chowki Choura. Some arms and ammunition were seized from his possession.
Later during preliminary questioning, some more weapons were recovered at his instance by police in Jammu. An IED weighing 5 kg, an AK-47 rifle along with four magazines and 120 cartridges, one pistol along with silencer, two magazines and 67 cartridges, three UBGL, and a battery among other things.
Sources said that he is suspected to be involved in bus blast near Katra on May 13 this year in which four pilgrims were killed and 22 others injured. Police are also trying to find out connection between him and Lashkar-e-Toiba commander Talib Shah who along with another militant was apprehended by local villagers in Reasi district’s Mahore area recently.