Srinagar/New Delhi: Dreaded Hizbul Mujahideen
militant "Doctor" and alleged assassins of Kashmiri leader
Maulana Showkat have been questioned by NIA in connection with
September 7 Delhi High Court blast to unravel how an advanced
three-cell remote used in the attack had been smuggled from
J-K to Delhi.
An examination of the circuit used in blast that left 15
people dead and scores others injured showed that terrorists
had used a three-battery remote for triggering the explosion.
Hizb-ul-Mujahideen`s operations chief Mohammad Shafi alias
Dawood alias Doctor, who was arrested from outskirts of the
city in mid-October last, was questioned at length by National
Investigating Agency (NIA) sleuths and central security
agencies about the smuggling of remotes.
A resident of north Kashmir`s Bandipora, Shafi had earned
the alias of a Doctor as he was a pharmacist before joining
the terror group. He was the leader of the group which carried
the three-cell remote consignment from Uri in north Kashmir
after they were smuggled from Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK)
through LoC trade.
His arrest came after Jammu and Kashmir Police prevented
an IED from exploding in Sangrama in Sopore of North Kashmir.
Militants were using a three-battery remote to detonate the
IED. Their questioning led to "Doctor" who was arrested in a
surgically planned operation by the police.
The three-battery remote has more range then earlier used
by the terrorists as the technology used here gives them some
lead time to facilitate an easy escape from the scene of
crime.
However, sources privy to the probe said the questioning
of Doctor could not yeild much other than the fact that
smuggling of arms along the LoC trade was a routine affair
which went undetected because of lack of proper scanning
facility.
The NIA team also questioned six accused chargesheeted in
the assassination of Maulana Showkat after seeking requisite
permission from the court.
The six -- Javed Ahmad Munshi alias Bill Papa, Nisar
Ahmad Khan alias Ishaq, Abdul Ghani Dar alias Ghazzali, Abdul
Majid Dar al Madni, Gulzar A Khan and Reyaz Ahmad Shah -- were
also quizzed to know from where did they assemble the bomb for
killing of Maulana Showkat in April last year.
The statements of all the six were recorded, the sources
said.
The three-battery remote has been used earlier by
terrorists thrice last year -- Sangrama in Sopore of North
Kashmir, Udhampur in May during an unsuccessful attempt on the
life of an Army officer and assassination of
Jamiat-e-Ahl-e-Hadees head Maluana Showkat Ahmad Shah in
April.
Meanwhile, a massive search operation was underway in the
higher reaches of Kishtwar for Junaid Akram Malik, wanted in
the Delhi High court blast case. NIA has already announced a
cash reward of Rs 10 lakh for information leading to the
arrest of Junaid.
Junaid`s brother Wasim Akram, a medical student studying
MBBS in a college at Bangladesh, is at present in judicial
custody.
PTI
