The Special Cell of Delhi Police has arrested an absconding Jaish-e-Mohammad militant from Srinagar, who was planning to go to Pakistan-administered-Kashmir (PaK), officials said Tuesday.
The 51-year-old, whowas carrying a reward of Rs 2 lakh, has been identified as Abdul Mazeed Baba, aresident of Sopore in Jammu and Kashmir, they said.
According to the police, Mazeed, along with his two associates, was convicted by the Delhi High Court in 2014 for delivering a consignment of arms, ammunition and explosives to Pakistan-based militant Shahid Gafoor in the national capital.
The police said thatMazeed had been evading arrest since 2014 when a non-bailable warrant wasissued against him. The Delhi Police sent a team to Jammu and Kashmir to nabhim in the case.
On March 25, one ofthe three convicted persons, Fayaz Ahmed Lone, was arrested from Srinagar.During investigation, it was learnt that Mazeed was planning to escape to PaK,the police said.
“However, thepolice got a tip-off on Saturday that Mazeed will come to Shere-e-KashmirInstitute Medical Sciences Hospital in Soura area in Srinagar.
“Subsequently, atrap was laid and Mazeed was arrested from near SKIMS Hospital,” DeputyCommissioner of Police (Special Cell) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said at a pressconference.
Yadav said that onFebruary 4, 2007, police had arrested four members of JeM — Shahid Gafoor, aresident of Pakistan, Bashir Ahmed, Lone and Mazeed, from Jammu and Kashmir —after a brief encounter at Deen Dayal Upadhayay Marg in Delhi.
Three kilograms ofhighly explosive material, four detonators, one timer, six hand grenades, onepistol, Rs 50,000 and fake USD 10,000 were recovered from their possession,police claimed.
During interrogationin 2007, the accused persons revealed that they are active members of JeM.
They, along with Haider,who was from Pakistan and was district commander Sopore of JeM, had hatched aconspiracy of a major attack in Delhi.
Gafoor also revealedthat he had illegally crossed over to India twice in 1998 and in 2002. Heremained in Jammu and Kashmir and carried out ghastly attack on RashtriyaRifles camp, police said.
On August 7, 2013,the lower court in Delhi convicted Gafoor and acquitted Ponnu, Lone and Mazeed.
When police appealedagainst their acquittal, the Delhi High Court convicted all the acquitted threemilitants, the DCP said. Afterbeing convicted, Ponnu, Lone and Baba did not surrender and later, non-bailablewarrants were issued against them several times since 2014 but no one turned upand a reward of Rs 2 lakh was declared on their arrest, the police added.