Terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed planned to blow up crowded places in Jammu to derail Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent samba rally, sources told News18 on Wednesday. The targets were revealed to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) after the recovery of a smartphone belonging to the accused. “Photographs of crowded places in Jammu were stored in the phone. It is a smartphone which the fidayeen attempted to destroy to remove evidence when they were gheraoed by the forces,” an investigator told News18.
The investigators said the photos were taken during recce of these places. In the past, Pakistan-based terrorists have carried out terror attacks in Jammu like at the Raghunath Mandir. Even the Sunjwan camp of the Army has been attacked. “The aim was to inflict maximum casualties ahead of the visit, forcing a cancellation,” a police official said.
The phone that belonged to suspect Shafiq Ahmad Sheikh, a resident of Tral in Pulwama, has revealed to investigators the other contacts who were helping the two fidayeen. When an encounter began two weeks ago, the fidayeen allegedly smashed the phone and threw it into the Sunjwan nullah. The NIA recovered the phone during a thorough search of the area. As per officials, the data recovered from the phone has given them crucial insight into the role of the arrested suspects, the other over ground workers (OGWs), and the plan.
Jammu and Kashmir police have also unearthed a tunnel, which was possibly used by the fidayeen to infiltrate into India. The mouth of the tunnel was at border outpost Chak Faquira in Indira Nagar.
“On 04 May 2022 at about 1730 hrs, tunnel checking exercise was carried out in the AOR of BOP Chak Faquira of 48 Bn BSF. During a special tunnel checking exercise, at about 1645 hrs, a new freshly dug up tunnel has been detected near FDP No-09/48, BP Ref.69-70,” a statement from the J&K police said.
This tunnel is at a distance of approximately 150 meters from the international border and 50 meters from the fence. Its distance from the nearest Pakistani post of Chaman Khurd (Fiaz) is about 900 meters and from the nearest Pakistani village of Chak Faquira is about 700 meters.
“Based on our inputs coming out of thorough interrogation of terrorist associates involved in Sunjwan-Jammu encounter two days before the PM’s visit, we could identify the pick point of terrorists after crossing over from Pakistan in Samba district and the likely crossing area…this tunnel has been detected today after a long search of two weeks approximately. Possibility of another such tunnel can’t be ruled out,” director general of police Dilbagh Singh said.
This is the fifth such tunnel that the police and Border Security Force (BSF) have unearthed in the past few years.
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