Davinder Singh was arrested on Saturday after a tip from Shopian police officers (Representational)
A day after a decorated Jammu and Kashmir police officer was arrested while travelling with three terrorists, state law enforcement authorities confirmed on Sunday that he too will be dealt with as a "terrorist". Davinder Singh, a Deputy Superintendent of Police posted at Srinagar international Airport, was caught Saturday at Wanpoh in Kulgam district in the company of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Naveed Babu, and will face anti-terror charges and those relating to the Arms and Explosives Act.
Questions still remain over why Davinder Singh, who received the President's Police Medal for Gallantry last year and was part of a group of officers who, on Thursday, received the envoys of 15 foreign nations on a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir, was travelling to Delhi with armed terrorists.
Investigations into the motive behind transporting the terrorists are ongoing, police said, adding that all security and intelligence agencies were part of the probe.
"Yesterday, during an operation in Shopian, one Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) was arrested along with wanted Hizbul Mujahideen militants, while they were travelling together in a vehicle on the National Highway," Vijay Kumar, Inspector General of Police, told reporters in Srinagar today.
The operation to arrest Davinder Singh was launched after a tip from the Superintendent of Police in Shopian district, after which Mr Kumar and other cops tracked down and stopped the car.
"He (Davinder Singh) has worked on several anti-militancy operations. But circumstances under which he was arrested... is a heinous crime. That is why he is being treated at par with the militants," he said, adding that further interrogation and investigation in the matter was underway.
Meanwhile, multiple raids were carried out today, based on information from the arrested terrorists, that led to a large hideout in Shopian district being busted.
After Saturday's arrest cops also recovered arms and ammunition from different locations around the city; an Ak-47 and two pistols were found in Davinder Singh's residence in Srinagar's Indranagar area. Davinder Singh's residence shares a wall with the headquarters of the Army's 15 Corps.
The police officer and the terrorists were on their way to Delhi, according to the cops.
Naveed Babu, one of the terrorists who was arrested, who is a former police constable - he deserted to join the terror group in 2017 and is now a district commander in the outfit - is accused of involvement in the killing of 11 non-local workers, including truck drivers and labourers, in southern Kashmir last year.
The killings targeted Kashmir's apple industry after the centre withdrew special status to the former state in August last year. He is also involved in the killing of several police officers and civilians and has 18 FIRs registered against him, Mr Kumar added.
With input from PTI