Security forces in Jammu and Kashmir have arrested a dismissed jawan of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and his two sons for allegedly being a part of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist outfit. This is the first time someone with this background had been arrested in an encounter with militants.
After a brief gun battle with the army and CRPF in the Poonch district of the Kashmir valley, the three were arrested today. An alleged Pakistani member of the JeM was killed during the encounter. The former CRPF soldier was identified as Mohammed Khalid and his sons as Mohammed Zubber Hussain and Mohammed Saddam Hussain.
Sources said the ex-trooper had been operating in the valley for several months. “We are questioning the dismissed soldier to try and find how he fell into the terror network. It is a serious situation for us, since he was part of the CRPF in Kashmir and might know our way of functioning,” said a senior home ministry official.
Senior officials said that apart from arms and money, they’d recovered two mobile phones and a SIM card and were studying the call details. “Since he has worked in the paramilitary, it is possible that he was in touch with other members of the security force as well,” said a source.