NIA arrests juvenile in Dhangri terrorist attack case

Srinagar, Jan 21: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) Saturday arrested a juvenile for harbouring terrorists involved in the killing of five civilians in Dhangri village of Rajouri district in January last year.

The juvenile was incidentally lodged at Observation Home, RS Pura, Jammu, in another case and registered at Gursai Police Station, Mendhar, Poonch, the NIA said.

He was taken into custody on Saturday by the NIA and produced before the Juvenile Justice Board, Rajouri, for remand.

“The terrorist attack had taken place on January 1, 2023, and five persons were killed and several seriously injured. The case was initially registered as FIR No 01/2023 at PS Rajouri under Sections 302, 307, 120-B, 452, and 323 of the Indian Penal Code, Sections 13, 16, and 18 of the UA (P) Act 1967, and Section 7/27 of the Arms Act. The NIA had taken over and re-registered the case on January 13,” sources said.

Investigations by the NIA had revealed that the apprehended juvenile, along with two other earlier arrested persons Nisar Ahmed alias Haji Nisar and Mushtaq Hussain alias Chacha, was involved in harbouring the terrorists who had carried out the horrendous attack.

“Nisar Ahmed and Mushtaq Hussain were arrested by the NIA on August 31, 2023, and are presently lodged at Central Jail, Kot Bhalwal, Jammu,” they said.

“The duo had provided logistic support to the terrorists for more than two months and had sheltered them in a hideout that they had constructed on the directions of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) handlers, Saifullah alias Sajid Jutt, Abu Qatal alias Qatal Sindhi, and Muhammad Qasim,” the NIA said.

A team of NIA officials had regularly camped in the hilly terrain of Rajouri, Poonch, and Reasi districts in search of the actual perpetrators of the offence during investigations.

The team examined a large number of suspicious entities and later zeroed in on these accused persons who had provided logistic support to the terrorists.