A Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) militant evading arrest for over four years after being convicted by the High Court here was nabbed from Srinagar by the Special Cell of Delhi Police, officials said Tuesday.
Bashir Ahmad (50), a resident of Jammu and Kashmir’s Sopore,was held in Srinagar and brought to Delhi to face sentencing by the High Court,police said, adding his activities over the past four years are also beingprobed. He is an absconding convict in a2007 case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and was carrying areward of Rs 2 lakh on his arrest, they said.
Ahmad was initially arrested along with Abdul Gafoor, a JeMmilitant from Sialkot in Pakistan, and others in 2007 following an encounter inDelhi, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell), Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said.
But a trial court acquitted him in 2013 following which hewent into hiding. Meanwhile, his acquittal was challenged in the Delhi HighCourt which reversed the decision and convicted him in 2014, the officersaid. But Ahmad did not surrender, theofficer said.
Meanwhile, a police team was sent to Jammu and Kashmir tolocate and arrest wanted and rewarded miliants.
The officer said that police first got hold of twoassociates of Ahmad. Fayaz Ahmad Lone was arrested on March 25, while AbdulMajeed Baba was nabbed on May 11 from Srinagar, the DCP said.
With their arrest, Ahmad got extra cautious and begancontinuously changing his hideouts to dodge the police, DCP Yadav said.
However, he said that on July 15, the police traced Ahmad’slocation to Srinagar and he was apprehended from Kothibagh area.
He was produced before a court in Srinagar which granted histransit remand to the Delhi Police and he was brought to the national capitalTuesday, the officer said.
Police said Ahmad was very close to a Pakistan trainedmilitant, Altaf Ahmad Kirmani. Kirmani introduced him to another Pakistanmilitant, Haider, who asked him to work for the Jaish-e-Mohammed.
Ahmad was tasked to provide logistical help to JeM members athis native place in Sopore, the officer said. Ahmad persuaded Lone and Baba towork for the terror outfit, the officer added.
On February 4, 2007, Ahmad came to Delhi with Fayaz and Babato hand over a huge consignment of arms, ammunition and explosives to theirother accomplice, Shahid Gafoor, a Pakistani, the officer said.