SRINAGAR: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday filed a supplementary charge sheet against four alleged members of Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) from Jammu and Kashmir for planning terror attacks in Delhi, the surrounding districts of the Union capital and elsewhere in the country.
A spokesman of the agency here said that the supplementary charge-sheet was filed in a NIA special court in the Union capital under Sections 120B and 121A of Indian Penal Code, Sections 18, 19, 20, 38 and 39 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention)) Act and Sections 4 and 5 of Explosive Substances Act against four JeM operatives. The accused have been identified as Sajjad Ahmad Khan, Bilal Ahmad Mir alias Billa, Ishfaq Ahmad Bhat and Merajuddin Chopan — all residents of J&K’s southern Pulwama district.
Giving the details of the case, the NIA said that a “criminal conspiracy” was hatched by senior commanders of the JeM to carry out militant attacks in different parts of the country including Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR).
The spokesman said that the investigation done by the NIA “has established that the accused persons are members of proscribed terrorist organisation, who were planning to carry out attacks and propagating the activities of JeM”.
He claimed that JeM commander Mudassir Ahmad Khan who has been killed since was the mastermind behind this conspiracy. “He was also one of the main conspirators in the February 14, 2019 Pulwama attack,” the spokesman said.
Khan was killed in an encounter with the J&K police and security forces in Tral area of the district on March 10 last year.
As per the NIA investigation, Sajad Khan was “directly in touch with Mudassir Khan whereas Ishfaq was involved in the transportation of arms and ammunitions for strengthening JeM in Kashmir and further harboured the operatives of the outfit.”
The NIA also said that one hand grenade was recovered from the possession of Chopan and that it had been “procured with the intention of using the same against the security forces in J&K for snatching their weapons.”
The NIA had earlier in September last year filed a charge sheet against the four accused under sections 120B and 121A of IPC, sections 18, 18B, 38 and 39 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and section 4 of Explosive Substances Act. Its spokesman added, “Further investigation continues under section 173(8) of CrPC.”
