Jammu and Kashmir’s State Investigation Agency (SIA) has made the first formal arrest in the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM)-Ansar Ghazwatul Hind (AGH) “interstate” terror module that was busted earlier this month.
Tufail Niyaz, the Srinagar resident who was arrested, allegedly provided the weapon that was recovered from a locker of one of the accused doctors in the Government Medical College (GMC), Anantnag, officers said.
A senior officer confirmed to The Indian Express that the investigation agency has formally arrested Niyaz. This is the first arrest by the SIA since it took over the case from the J-K Police.
Police sources say Niyaz was detained by J-K Police immediately after the module, comprising doctors Muzamil Shakeel Ganai, Adeel Ahmad Rather, Umar Nabi and Shaheen Shahid, was busted. He was later handed over to the SIA and formally arrested in the case.
While Muzamil, Adeel and Shaheen have been arrested by J-K Police and handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) that took over the Red Fort blast case, Umar died in the explosion outside Red Fort.
Sources say Niyaz, who worked as a technician, was allegedly the one who provided the AK rifle that was recovered by police based on the information provided by Dr Rather. The rifle, police sources say, was in the locker that was in possession of Rather at GMC Anantnag.
Sources say that Niyaz allegedly received the rifle from a Pakistani handler.
