National Investigation Agency Thursday filed charge-sheet in a case, RC 10/2018/NIA/DLI, relating to a fidayeen attack by three heavily armed Jaish militants on the CRPF Group Centre at Lethpura here, during the intervening night of 30/31 December, 2017.
In the attack, five CRPF personnel had been killed and threeothers injured. During the ensuing operation, all the three militants had beenkilled.
Initially, a case FIR 150/2017 was registered at AwantiporaPolice station. Considering its gravity, the NIA took over the investigation ofthe case on 27.02.2018.
A spokesman of probe agency said the charge sheet was filedin the NIA Special Court, Jammu, against four accused Fayaz Ahmad Magray ofLethpora, Awantipora, Nisar Ahmad Tantray of Dar Ganaie Gund, Tral, Awantipora,Syed Hilal Andrabi of Ratnipora, Pulwama and Irshad Ahmad Reshi of Ratnipora,Pulwama.
He said the accused had been booked under sections 120B,121, 121A, 122, 123, 302, 307, 325, 330, 436, 440, 457, 459 and 460 RPC,sections 7 and 25 of Arms Act, sections 3 and 4 of Explosives Substances Act,sections 18, 19, 20, 23 & 39 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, andsection 4 of Jammu and Kashmir Public Property (Prevention of Damage) Act,1985.
During investigation, he said, the identity of the threeFidayeen militants was established. He said two local militants among theattackers were identified as Fardeen Ahmad Khandey S/o Gulam Mohi-ud–dinKhandey of Nazneenpora, Tral, Pulwama and Manzoor Ahmad Baba S/o Ali Mohd of Drubgam,Pulwama. While, the third Fidayeen militant was identified as Abdul Shakoor, aresident of Rawalakot, PaK.
The spokesman said: “A recce of the CRPF Group Centre,Lethpora was done by Noor Muhammad Tantray along with other accused during thesecond week of December 2017.”
However, he said before the attack could be launched,Tantray was killed in an encounter with security forces.
He said Mufti Waqas, a Pakistani militant of JeM who tookover as commander after Noor Mohammad, “immediately started planning theexecution of attack at the centre at Lethpora to retaliate against the killingof Noor Tantray.
“Accused Syed Hilal Andrabi, Irshad Ahmad Reshi, Fayaz AhmadMagray, Nisar Ahmad Tantray, Mudasir Ahmad Khan and JeM commander Mufti Waqas(Pakistani) played a vital role in the conspiracy. Mufti Waqas and MudasirAhmad Khan were later killed in different encounters with security forces.
“Accused Fayaz Ahmad Magray was an active associate of slainmilitant Noor Muhammad . Tantray playedan active role in planning and execution of this attack. After the attack, inthe month of January 2018, the role of Mudasir Ahmad Khan who was an OGW of JeMat that time came into knowledge of Police and a raid was conducted at hishouse.
“Fayaz Ahmad Magray immediately facilitated Mudasir AhmedKhan to join the JeM militant ranks as an active militant by arranging weaponthrough JeM commander Mufti Waqas. He also escorted him and helped him to crossthe police check posts while escaping.”
The probe agency spokesman said accused Syed Hilal Andrabiand Irshad Ahmed Reshi “facilitated the fidayeen attack by providing shelter,by extending logistic support and by transporting the fidayeens along withtheir arms and ammunition immediately before the attack.”
The fourth accused charge-sheeted namely Nisar Ahmad Tantrayis the younger brother of slain JeM commander Noor Mohd Tantray and he was alsopart of the said conspiracy, the spokesman said.