Police in Kashmir have arrested a resident of Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district for his links with lashkar-e-Tayyeba (leT) and active participation in action against security forces and looting cash from ATMs. This is for the first time that a UP resident, a Hindu by faith, has been arrested for his terrorist links. He has been frequenting Kashmir since 2012, working as a welder, and has criminal background. The UP Police have been informed about his arrest and a team is expected to arrive here to assist the police investigation
Speaking to the reporters at police control room in Srinagar, Inspector General of Police (Kashmir range) Munir Khan said Sandeep Kumar Sharma was taken into custody July 1 from an encounter site in south Kashmir’s Breenti, Dyalgam village in Anantnag district.
Three terrorists — including top-ranking leT commander Bashir Ahmad Wani, alias lashkari — were killed in the encounter. During interrogation, Sharma has confessed to have been deeply involved in leT activities and have taken part in three actions against security forces — including an ambush on a police party that killed Station House Officer of Acchabal police station Feroz Dar, along with five constables.
Khan said Sandeep, son of Ram Kumar Sharma, alias Adil, was part of lashkar modules that carried out ATM robberies and attacks on the security forces in south Kashmir.
Khan said Sandeep has been frequenting Kashmir since 2012 and worked as a welder in the south Kashmir region where he developed links with terrorists. He said he developed first contact with the terrorists in Punjab where he stayed during winter months. Khan said Sandeep was expert in looting ATMs and probably shared the booty with leT terrorists. “He (Sandeep) has no ideology. He is a criminal and criminals are part of lashkar,” Khan said.
This is for the first time that a non-Muslim from outside Jammu & Kashmir has been arrested for being an active terrorist.
Khan said that the chance arrest of Sandeep Kumar has thrown a new challenge to the police and security forces to scrutinize non-locals who arrive in Kashmir in thousands, mostly in summer months, to carry out skilled and non-skilled jobs. “We will ensure all non-locals’ identity is verified thoroughly,” Khan flanked by deputy inspector genral of police (south Kashmir range) Swayam Prakash Pani, said.
“We had an encounter in Anantnag where a notorious militant Bashir lashkari was eliminated along with his associate. It all started from there. Sandeep Kumar was apprehended in a live action. Once he was apprehended the fingers of suspicion were raised. We were surprised to see a non-local sitting in the same housed where lashkari had taken shelter. We decided to probe further,” Khan said.
“He is a hardcore terrorist who accompanied lashkar militants and actively participated in three actions. He was involved in the attack, in which SHO was martyred along with five other cops. Sandeep was also involved in an ambush on an army convoy in lower Munda in which two army jawans were killed and four were injured. He was also involved in snatching of weapons from the guards of retired Justice Muzaffar Attar,” Khan said.
He said that Sandeep owned a car with registration in UP and was misusing his non-local identity to ferry militants and weapons. Police have also arrested Muneeb Shah of Kulgam, who was part of lashkar module.
Sandeep and Shah were briefly paraded before the mediapersons with covered faces. They were allowed to answer questions from the media.
Meanwhile, lashkar-e-Tayyeba has denied of having any ties with Sandeep Kumar and Shakoior. “Sandeep Kumar, who belongs to Uttar Paradesh, has no links whatsoever with lashkar-e-Toiba. This is nothing but a conspiracy put up by Ajit Doval and his propagandist team, so as to try to sabotage Kashmir’s freedom struggle. Indian government, its establishment and agencies have gone rogue and dismayed over the alliance between Kashmiris and Mujahideen, which was evident from the Burhan Wani’s martyrdom day, observed on July 8th, 2017,” Mehmood Shah, the leT chief said in a statement to a local news agency.