KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of police constituted recently have arrested seven people including a doctor settled in United Kingdom over militant links in Kashmir, top sources said on Monday. Police said the arrested doctors and others held persons are part of a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen sleeper cell.
The sources told Srinagar-based news agency GNS that in the wake of fresh recruitment of youth into militant ranks and continuous surfacing of threatening posters, a SIT was constituted by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir, Syed Javed Mujtaba Geelani, to track down and bust the recruiting modules of militants.
The SIT on Sunday at 3: 45 pm arrested Dr Shaheen Baba, son of Ghulam Qadir Baba, resident of Charar-e-Shareef, who at present lives in Chadoora. Baba, who is now settled in UK, was on way to Airport in a Tavera when a SIT arrested and whisked him to Rajbagh police station. “The arrest came after a specific input,” sources said. Baba, according to sources, is married to a Pakistani woman.
Sources said that after being questioned, police arrested Akhtar Hussain Hafiz, son of Ghulam Rasool Mir. After further interrogation of Dr Baba, the SIT carried out raids at Charar-e-Shareef and arrested Basharat Baba, son of Abdul Gani, Mudasir Baba, son of Ghulam Muhammad, Manzoor Baba, son of Ghulam Ahmad, Uqab Baba, son of Ali Muhammad and Muhammad Iqbal Mir, son of Habibuullah Mir.
Sources said that Baba was leaving for UK and his brother, cousin and a maternal uncle were going to drop him at the Airport. Sources in police said that Baba and others are being questioned over their militant links.
Meanwhile, police claimed that the arrested doctor was commanding a Hizb sleeper cell in Srinagar. A police spokesperson in a statement issued to GNS said: “Mohammad Shaheen Baba was working in UK as a physiotherapist and residing in London since 2006. He married an American National of Pakistani origin. He visited Pakistan, where he got in touch with HM Commanders and on their directions established the sleeper cell.”
The spokesperson said, “During preliminary investigation, it surfaced that they (arrested persons including the doctor) had planned to carry out sensational acts of terror by way of IED blasts.” He claimed that a Chinese pistol with Magazine, 25 live rounds, incriminating documents and a mobile phone was recovered from the cell members. “Further investigations are going on which may lead to more arrests. In this regard, case under FIR number 134/2015 under section 13 U.L Act has been registered in Police station Sadder,” the spokesperson added.
