NIA arrests juvenile in Dhangri terrorist attack case

The juvenile/CCL was incidentally lodged at Observation Home, RS Pura, Jammu, in another case and registered at Gursai Police Station, Mendhar, District Poonch, the NIA stated.

He was taken into custody yesterday by the NIA and produced before the Juvenile Justice Board, Rajouri, for remand.

"The said terrorist attack had taken place on January 1, 2023, and five persons belonging to the minority Hindu community were killed and several seriously injured. The case was initially registered as FIR no. 01/2023 at PS Rajouri u/s 302/ 307 /120-B/452/323 of IPC, sections 13/16/18 of the UA (P) Act 1967 and sections 7/27 of the Arms Act. The NIA had taken over and re-registered the case on January 13," they added.

Investigations by the NIA had revealed that the apprehended juvenile, along with two other earlier arrested persons, namely Nisar Ahmed alias Haji Nisar and Mushtaq Hussain alias Chacha, was involved in harbouring the terrorists who had carried out the horrendous attack.

"Nisar Ahmed and Mushtaq Hussain were arrested by the NIA on August 31, 2023, and are presently lodged at Central Jail, Kot Bhalwal, Jammu," they added.

The duo had provided logistic support to the terrorists for more than two months and had sheltered them in a hideout that they had constructed on the directions of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) handlers, namely Saifullah alias Sajid Jutt, Abu Qatal alias Qatal Sindhi and Mohd Qasim, the NIA stated.

A team of NIA officials had regularly camped in the hilly terrain of Rajouri, Poonch and Reasi districts of Jammu and Kashmir in search of the actual perpetrators of the offence during the course of investigations.

The team examined a large number of suspicious entities and later zeroed in on the above-mentioned accused persons who had provided logistic support to the terrorists.

Further investigation is underway. (ANI)