Probe Agency Files Chargesheet Against Six Lashkar-e-Mustafa Terrorists

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday filed a chargesheet against six terrorists of Lashkar-e-Mustafa (LeM) outfit, a frontal organisation of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), who were planning attacks in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the country.

Those chargesheeted include self-styled chief commander of the LeM, Hidayat Ullah Malik, and a woman, Baseerat-ul-Ain, both residents of Shopian in south Kashmir, and Mustaq Alam and his brother Jawed Alam of Deobahuara-Chhapra in Bihar, an NIA spokesperson said.

Others named in the chargesheet are Jan Mohd Teeli of Anantnag and Mudabir Manzoor of Shopian.
Malik, who was arrested from Kunjwani area of Jammu on February 6, had formed LeM in August last year.

On February 14, the Director General of Police Dilbag Singh had termed his arrest a major breakthrough and said he had forwarded a video of NSA Ajit Doval's Delhi office to his handler in Pakistan, which meant they were planning an attack there.

"Malik had set up a network to get weapons from Bihar and even sourced seven pistols from there and got them distributed among terrorists in the valley," the DGP had said.

The NIA said the case was initially registered at Gangyal Police Station in Jammu relating to conspiracy by the LeM, working at the behest of the JeM, to carry out terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir with an intention to threaten sovereignty, integrity and security of India.

The NIA re-registered the case on March 2 and took over its investigation.

"The investigation has revealed that Malik was the commander in chief of terrorist outfit LeM and he, along with his co-conspirators, was planning terrorist acts in various parts of India. The newly floated terror outfit (LeM) is an offshoot of proscribed terror organisation JeM," the spokesperson said.

The NIA said the LeM was tactically formed to evade scrutiny of forces and ease international pressure on the JeM after the attack on CRPF convoy in Pulwama on February 14, 2019, which left over 40 jawans dead.

"The probe has further revealed that the accused led by Malik had also committed a daylight bank robbery amounting to Rs 60 lakh at J&K Bank, Main Branch Shopian in November 2020.

"The looted money was used by LeM terrorists for procuring weapons from Kashmir and Bihar. Malik had also done reconnaissance of many security installations in Jammu and Delhi and was in constant touch with his JeM handlers in Pakistan," the spokesperson said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)