NIA arrests JeM terrorist involved in 2017 Lethpora terror attack

Irshad Ahmad Reshi was also a close associate of slain terrorist and JeM Commander Noor Mohammad Tantray alias Noor Trali.

National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday arrested Irshad Ahmad Reshi, a resident of Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir, for his involvement in attack on CRPF Group Centre in Lethpora. 

Reshi is the fifth accused to have been arrested in the case during follow up investigation carried out by the NIA after the interrogation of accused Nisar Ahmed Tantray and Syed Hilal Andrabi. Both Nisar and Hilal were arrested earlier by the NIA.

According to NIA, Reshi is an active OGW (Over Ground Worker) of proscribed Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad(JeM). He was also a close associate of slain terrorist and JeM Commander Noor Mohammad Tantray alias Noor Trali. The attack on CRPF Group Centre, Lethpora, was carried out in the intervening night of December 30-31, 2017 by three JeM terrorists.

The attack was executed as part of a conspiracy to avenge the death of Noor Trali, who was killed in an encounter with security forces in December 2017. 

After the interrogation of Nisar and Hilal it was revealed that Reshi was a key conspirator of the attack and he was responsible for providing logistic support in form of sheltering and transport for the terrorists and conducting reconnaissance of the CRPF Group centre before the attack. 

Four accused namely Fayaz Ahmad Magrey of Lethpora, Manzoor Ahmed Bhat of Pampore, Nisar Ahmed Tantray of Tral and Syed Hilal Andrabi of Ratnipora have been arrested earlier in the case.

During the investigation by NIA, the terrorists who were involved in the cowardly attack were identified as Fardeen Ahmad Khandey, Manzoor Baba and a Pakistani terrorist namely Abdul Shakoor. All the three terrorists were killed in the encounter. In this attack, five CRPF personnel were martyred and three got seriously injured.

NIA sources said that Reshi will be produced before the Special NIA court in Jammu on Modnay with a request for grant of police custody for further investigation.