Eight grenades and Rs 60,000 were recovered from him, police said.
Highlights
- The terrorist was going to hand over explosives to his contact in Delhi
- Eight grenades and Rs. 60,000 were recovered from him, police said
- Intel states about possible Lashkar, Jaish strikes in Delhi and Jammu
A terrorist was arrested with eight grenades in Jammu on Sunday, police said today claiming to have foiled a major terror plot to trigger blasts in the winter capital, days ahead of the Independence Day. The man was planning to go to Delhi and give the explosives to his contact, they added.
Inspector General of Police, (Jammu) S D S Jamwal told reporters that Irfan Hussain Wani, who hailed from Dangerpora-Awantipora village of south Kashmir, was arrested from Gandhi Nagar locality of Jammu city yesterday.
"He was carrying this cache of grenades to Delhi to hand it over to a contact. These grenades would have been used to disturb the Independence Day celebrations," Mr Jamwal said, adding that he was also carrying Rs 60,000.
The Jammu police chief said that during questioning, the 25-year-old revealed his affiliation with Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind led by Zakir Mussa and added that he was in touch with number two of the outfit, Rehan. He said a police squad noticed him moving suspiciously at Chatri point.
Acting on intelligence inputs, police intercepted a bus in Gandhi Nagar area in Jammu on Sunday night and arrested the man. Eight live hand grenades and and Rs 60,000 in cash were recovered from him, a police officer said.
The terrorist was identified as Irfan Hussain Wani, a resident of Awantipora in Pulwama district of south Kashmir. "A BA dropout and radicalised, the terrorist was active in militancy for the last one year. With his arrest, a major chance of disturbing the Independence day celebrations in Delhi and parts of Jammu was foiled," he said.
Terming the arrest a "major success", the IGP said it was the result of robust security measures put in place by the police to ensure peaceful Independence Day celebrations in Jammu.
Security forces are on alert in the wake of intelligence inputs that Kashmiri terror groups Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and Hizbul Mujahideen are planning to carry out terror strikes in Jammu and New Delhi on the occasion of Independence Day on August 15.
The terrorist is being put through sustained interrogation to ascertain about the plans and his contacts in the city and its outskirts, police said.
(with inputs from PTI)