Security forces have arrested two men from PoK who have been working for Pakistan-based terror outfit JeM and acting as guides for infiltrating groups along the Line of Control(LoC) in Uri sector in Kashmir, the Army said today.
"Security forces have arrested two PoK nationals who have been working for Jaish-e-Mohammed terror outfit and acting as guides for infiltrating groups along the Line of Control in Uri Sector," an army official said.
The official said the two men were apprehended in a joint operation by the Army and BSF close to the LoC on September 21. One of the arrested men is believed to have acted as a guide for the four JeM terrorists who attacked an Army base in Uri in Kashmir on Sunday.
"During the investigation, the individuals have revealed their identities as Ahasan Kursheed alias DC, a resident of Khaliana Kalan and Faisal Hussain Awan, a resident of Pottha Jahangir--both in PoK," the official said.
He said the duo was recruited two years ago by JeM and were guiding militants to infiltrate across the LoC.
The details provided by them are being examined and corroborated by the concerned agencies, the official said, adding the two men are now in the custody of the Army and are being interrogated.
The arrested men were initially believed to have told their interrogators that they had inadvertently crossed the LoC.
The arrest comes six days after the deadly attack by four heavily armed JeM terrorists in Uri in which 18 soldiers were killed. The four terrorists were also killed in the encounter.
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Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir police said it has taken steps to prevent incidents of gun-snatching in the future.
"We have taken steps throughout the Valley so that such incidents do not happen. But our guards are also in far-flung and inaccessible areas to secure minority (community) locations," Deputy Inspector General of Police (Central Kashmir Range) Ghulam Hassan Bhat told reporters in Srinagar.
"The measures which we have taken, we may not share the details but we will try, and we are sure that such incidents, should not happen in future," he added.
During the media interaction, Srinagar Senior Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar said the militants were present in the state capital, two among whom had carried out an attack on SSB convoy on the outskirts of the city on October 14 in which one SSB jawan was killed and eight others were injured.
"We have conducted investigations and what we have found is that there were two militants who were ferried on a bike. We are trying to identify the bike owner," he said.
"We are hopeful that we will identify the person very soon," the SSP added.
He said there is presence of militants in Harwan-Dachigam belt which borders Ganderbal district.
"We are not very sure about the number of the militants and will tell you at the appropriate time," Kumar said.
Bhat said during the past three months, more than 800 youth allegedly involved in stone-pelting, have been arrested by the police in Central Kashmir Range.
"We have arrested more than 800. More than 80 among them have been arrested under Public Safety Act (PSA)," he said.
He said the police have also arrested 15 miscreants found involved in burning of vehicles during the last three months.
"We have registered 13 cases in central Kashmir, 12 in Srinagar and one in Budgam for burning of 12 vehicles. We have identified 22 people, of whom 15 have been arrested while seven are absconding," Bhat said.
He said a few of those arrested were chronic stone- pelters since 2010 and some had cases already registered against them.
Some flags and masks have been recovered from them.
