New Delhi: In a major breakthrough, the Jammu and Kashmir have arrested one person accused of providing logistical support to the terrorists involved in the April 22 Pahalgam attack. The arrested individual has been identified as Mohammad Kataria. The arrest took place following a forensic analysis of weapons and equipment that were recovered during Operation Mahadev which was carried out in July this year.
During this operation, security forces tracked down and neutralised three terrorists who killed 26 people in Pahalgam. The National Investigation Agency which is also investigating this case had in June arrested two men for allegedly harbouring the terrorists who had carried out the attack.
Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar from Batkote and Bashir Ahmad Jothar of Hill Park, Pahalgam, had disclosed the identities of the three terrorists who were involved in the attack. They are said to have provided food and shelter to the terrorists.
The NIA had also arrested a resident of Handwara and interrogated him in connection with the funding that went into this attack.
The agency also is scrutinising 450 phone numbers, including of those involved in 80 cases that are being investigated by the agency since 2011. The agency learnt that one Yasir Hayat was in touch with a suspected Malaysian based handler Sajad Ahmed Mir and two others from Pakistan.
Hayat was being instructed by Mir to give funds to the tune of Rs 2 lakh to Shafat Wani. During his trip to Malaysia, Hayat was in touch with two Pakistanis. In all, Wani is said to have received a sum of Rs 9 lakh which was used to fund terror activities. (IANS)
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