The J&K Police on Thursday arrested a Ph.D. scholar from south Kashmir’s Kulgam for his alleged role in “motivating, funding and providing logistic support to the gullible youth of the district and adjoining areas to recruit them into terrorist ranks”.
The police identified the scholar as Rubani Bashir, a resident of Ashmuji, Kulgam. “Bashir is a Ph.D. scholar at the Central University of Kashmir and has also applied for a job as assistant professor there,” the police said.
The police said Dr. Bashir was arrested following specific information generated by the Kulgam police. “It was a search for a code-named person with the alias Dr. Sabeel, who was motivating, funding, and providing logistic support to gullible youth. A special checkpoint was established at Ashmuji and Dr. Rubani was apprehended,” the police said.
The police said special teams were constituted by the Kulgam police. “After systematic efforts, one suspected vehicle bearing number JK18B-4852 was zeroed in to. When the credentials of the vehicle were sought, it came to fore that this vehicle was being used by Dr. Rubani Bashir,” the police said.
The police claimed that during questioning, Dr. Bashir disclosed that he had been associated with the Jamaat-e-Islami from his student days and had been a member of the students’ wing, Islamic Jamat-ul-Tulbha, for 14 years.
“The basic modus operandi of Dr. Sabeel was to work for proscribed terrorist organisations Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JeM) behind the scenes. He used to identify the youngsters, motivated them, funded them, and then made them ready to join terrorist organizations,” the police said.
It is alleged the he motivated two youngsters and made them join the terrorist ranks. “On the disclosure of Dr. Bashir, two terrorist associates of the HM and JeM were arrested,” the police said.
The arrested youth were identified as Fazil Ahmed Parrey and Tariq Ahmed Naikoo alias Chawla. “On their disclosure, one Chinese pistol, one pistol magazine, nine 9 mm rounds were recovered from Dr. Bashir; one AK-47 Magazine and 19 AK-47 rounds were recovered from Fazil Ahmed Parrey; and a Chinese grenade, 10 AK-47 rounds and an Alto car used for ferrying the terrorists have been seized,” the police said.
Meanwhile, the Bandipora police, along with the Indian Army, arrested a terrorist associate of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) at the Turkpora junction in the district.
“Two hand grenades and other incriminating materials have been recovered from his possession,” the police said.
