The Jammu and Kashmir police on Friday said that they are in “constant touch” with their counterparts in Delhi over the arrest of two youth from southern Shopian district by the special cell of Delhi police last night.
Pervez Rashid Lone (24) son of Abdur Rashid and Jamsheed Zahoor Paul (19) son of Zahoor Ahmad, both hailing from Ganawpora village, were arrested near Red Fort for allegedly transporting weapons to the ‘Islamic State’ in Jammu and Kashmir (ISJK), according to a report in a New Delhi-based newspaper. The families of the duo have however refuted the police claims, saying their kin were “innocent.”
“We are in constant touch with the Delhi police special cell,” said Kashmir range inspector general of police, SP Pani.
“We are ascertaining the facts,” he told Greater Kashmir.
Meanwhile, Abdur Rashid, father of Parvez, said that his son was pursuing M.Tech in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, and had nothing to do with militancy.
“I don’t know why he was arrested. He does not have any links with any militant outfit,” he said, adding: “I received a call from Delhi police this afternoon about my son’s arrest. I was shocked.”
According to Rashid, his son left for Moradabad on September 4 and did not speak to him from Thursday morning.
“I tried his phone many times but could not get through,” he said.
On Friday evening, Rashid was also summoned by the J&K police for questioning, a source said.
Zahoor Ahmad, father of another detained youth Jamsheed, said that his son was pursuing diploma in electrical engineering from Islamic University of Science and Technology, Awantipora, and had no affiliation with any militant organisation.
“He left for the university on Tuesday. I am shocked to hear that he has been picked up by the Delhi police,” Ahmad said.
Quoting police, the report in the Delhi-based newspaper said that the two youths were on way to Kashmir “after procuring sophisticated weapons from Amroha district in Uttar Pradesh under directions from the top level operatives from ISJK.”
“We recovered two sophisticated pistols and ten cartridges that the two accused were taking to Kashmir. Delhi was the transit point they used to supply the weapons,” the newspaper quoted deputy commissioner of police (special cell) PS Kushwaha as saying.
Parvez is a B.Tech graduate and had completed his civil engineering from a private college in Amroha. The police alleged that his elder brother was earlier associated with Hizbul Mujahideen and later shifted his allegiance to the IS. Jamsheed was pursuing a diploma in electrical engineering and was into his final year.
(With Gulzar Bhat in Shopian)