Jammu, July 7: Hizbul Mujahideen Module working on recruiting Jammu Kashmir youth into the militancy with roots in Kashmir, mainly Awantipora area of Pulwama district, was busted by police yesterday.
Two militants were arrested but a “key man” of Sabjian, Poonch, who according to police statement was reportedly luring youth for their ex-filtration to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) for arms training, escaped and is currently underground.
The militants were carrying identity cards with them while traveling from Kashmir to Poonch via Mughal Road to not be doubted using the pretext of visiting a religious place in Rajouri. According to the police statement nearly a dozen youth of Awantipora and surroundings have been lured into the militancy in the recent times, four of whom have been arrested by Poonch Police with the help of their South Kashmir counterparts while others were reported to have been detained in South Kashmir.
Official sources informed that the new modus operandi of the militants to recruit fresh youths into the militancy and send them to PoK for arms training via Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch sector first surface when one militant was killed and two fresh recruits were arrested in Chaprian area of Sabjian on the LoC in Poonch sector some time back. The militant was killed after he fell down from the hill and police captured the two recruits.
“It was during interrogation of these two youth that entire racket involved in luring youths of Kashmir into militancy and then trying to send them to PoK for arms training had surfaced. The two fresh recruits knew at least dozen youths of South Kashmir, some of whom hailed from Awantipora, had also fallen into the trap of militancy after being lured by some commanders of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit.
While two Mujahideen militants including a TATA Sumo driver, who had transported three militants to Poonch and another, who was instrumental in motivating youths into militancy, were arrested by Surankote police of Poonch district with the help of South Kashmir police, some others were arrested/detained by police in South Kashmir while few others were reportedly on the run.
Reports said the module surfaced during questioning of two fresh recruits by police from Sabjian when one of the militant Billal Ahmad Bhat son of Sonaullah Bhat of Baramulla was killed after he fell down from a hill and two youths were arrested at Sabjian. Billal was a listed militant while two youths accompanying him were fresh recruits. They were identified as Adil Ahmad Bhat son of Ghulam Hassan Bhat and Mursalem Rashid son of Abdul Rashid, both residents of Pulwama in South Kashmir
