Hizbul’s sleeper cell chief arrested in J&K

The J&K Police have arrested five persons, including a UK-based Kashmiri physiotherapist, on charges of running a Hizbul Mujahideen sleeper cell in the city.

Shaheen’s family denied the police’s claim and said he was arrested yesterday while he was headed to Srinagar airport on his way back to London.

Giving details, the spokesman said Baba had been working in the UK as a physiotherapist and living in London since 2006. Police claimed that a Chinese pistol with Magazine, 25 live rounds, incriminating documents and a mobile phone was recovered from the cell members.

“During preliminary investigations, it has emerged that they had planned to carry out blasts, especially in Srinagar”. The other members of the group have been identified as Mudasir Ahmad Baba alias Auranzaib, Basharat Hussain Baba, Uqab Ahmad Wazir and Manzoor Ahmad, he said.

“He visited Pakistan where he met Hizb commanders and established the sleeper cell”, he said. “He comes here only once in a year or two”, said Baba, who retired as joint director in a government department. Sources in police told GNS that Baba and others are being questioned over their militant links. “Police believe that he is part of a local militant module in Kashmir and had received Rs 10 lakh for militant activities in Kashmir”, they said.

Police later carried out raids at Charar-e-Sharif and Chadoora areas of the district to make further arrests of his associates. “In this regard, case under FIR number 134/2015 under section 13 U.L Act has been registered in Police station Sadder”, the spokesman added.