Chandigarh, Jun 13 (IANS): A day after two J&K based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operatives, Aamir Hussain Wani and Wasim Hassan Wani, were arrested for trying to smuggle weapons into the Kashmir Valley to carry out terror attacks, Punjab Police have arrested their accomplice while he was trying to flee to Kashmir.
The third suspected LeT militant has been identified as Javed Ahmed Bhat (29).
He was intercepted and apprehended along with his truck from the Dhobra Bridge in Pathankot town on the Amritsar-Jammu Highway on Friday as he was trying to escape to the Valley on learning about the arrest of his accomplices.
According to Director General of Police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta, Javed hails from the same village as the other two LeT operatives, and is their childhood friend.
The trio had been doing transport business together for over the past two-three years, and had been making trips to Delhi, Amritsar and Jalandhar.
Initial questioning of Javed has revealed that he had come with Aamir and Wasim from Kashmir to Amritsar to collect the weapons' consignment in the guise of bringing fruits and vegetables.
They came in two trucks, and after picking up the consignment from near Vallah Road on June 11, Aamir and Wasim had asked Javed to stay behind in Amritsar to contact the weapon supplier on the directions of their handler, Ishfaq Ahmed Dar, alias Bashir Ahmed Khan, of the LeT.
Further investigation is in progress to identify other links and associates of the three men in Punjab and J&K, said the DGP, pointing out that these arrests indicated widespread terror networks backed by Pakistan-based militants.
They further corroborated recent intelligence inputs indicating that Pakistan's ISI has been pushing weapon consignments and infiltrating militants from across the border into Punjab, and then to the Kashmir Valley for carrying out terror activities.
Earlier, on April 25, Punjab Police had arrested a J&K based youth, namely Hilal Ahmed Wagay, who had come to collect drug money from Amritsar on the instructions of slain Hizbul Mujahideen Commander Riaz Ahmed Naikoo.
In that case also, Hilal Ahmed had used a truck for ferrying the drug money.