Srinagar: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Saturday arrested at least two accomplices of Pakistani terrorist Mohammed Naved Yakub alias Usman Khan, who was captured after a terror attack in Udhampur on August 05.
Three others were detained for allegedly helping the Pakistani terrorist of Lashker-e-Toiba, who had ambushed a BSF convoy near Udhampur on Wednesday.
The arrests were made hours after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) brought Usman to the Kashmir Valley from Jammu region by road to identify those who helped him and a fellow Pakistani terrorist reach Udhampur where he was caught.
"The NIA took Usman to Pulwama and Kulgam districts following disclosures by him. More arrests are likely to take place following the leads given by the accused," a police officer told IANS here.
Nearly a dozen people were being examined by the agencies based on details provided by Usman, a 23-year-old Pakistani national hailing from Faislabad in Pakistan.
Notably, Usman was overpowered by villagers after he and a fellow Pakistani terrorist shot dead two Border Security Force (BSF) troopers on the Jammu-Srinagar highway in Udhampur district. The captured Pakistani is now in the custody of the NIA and the other terrorist, identified as Noman, was killed in retaliatory fire.
So far, two people have been placed under arrest, official sources said, adding the first one was the truck driver who drove them to Samroli in Udhampur from Kulgam and other one was a bakery owner at Pulwama, who is alleged to be an over ground worker of Lashker-e-Toiba.
The three others who were being questioned at the highly-fortified interrogation centres and there was a possibility that they may be arrested, the sources said.
The NIA, which is investigating the case as per directions of the Union Home Ministry, has placed a team of its officers led by Inspector General SK Singh in Srinagar.
A case under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Arms Act and various sections of Indian Penal Code has been registered against Usman and his accomplice, Noman alias Momin.
Usman reached Srinagar late last night as he was brought to Kashmir by road because helicopters failed to take off due to bad weather.
The sources said Usman was being taken to all the places that he had mentioned during interrogation after he was overpowered by two of the three villagers he had taken as hostages.
After undergoing training in two different modules with Lashker-e-Toiba terror group, Naved along with three others had entered into India through Baramulla in North Kashmir area by cutting the fencing.
During interrogation, he said that he had stayed at Tangmarg and Baba Reshi and shifted their base to Awantipura-Pulwama in South Kashmir where he remained inside a cave located on a hill side.
The NIA is trying to know more about the larger LeT network in Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere in India.
(With Agency inputs)
