Missing cab driver found dead: Police arrest 3, bust JeM terror module
Harcharan Singh Bhullar, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Ropar, said the men were held from Batala Bus Stand and Gurdaspur in connection with the murder of Anil Kumar, 32.
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DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar addresses reporters at the police headquarters in Mohali on Tuesday. (Express photo)Punjab Police on Tuesday arrested three men from Jammu and Kashmir who were allegedly involved in a cab driver’s murder case and also claimed to have unearthed a terror module linked to Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), a senior police officer said.
Mohali police in Punjab arrested three men hailing from Jammu and Kashmir, including an alleged terrorist associated with Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), in connection with the kidnapping and murder of a Nayagaon-based taxi driver, officers said Tuesday.
The police identified the arrested accused as Sahil Bashir, 19, of Kupwara; Bashir’s brother Aijaz Ahmed Khan, alias Wasim, 22, of Kalamabad, who has been living in Batala for eight years; and Munish Singh, alias Ansh, 22, of Doda. Bashir, who according to the police, has links to JeM, is also wanted in another case registered in Kalamabad, last month under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Arms Act. Officers said the men appeared to be planning a terror strike in the state.
Aijaz had earlier been arrested with a cache of weapons and materials linked to JeM. Both the brothers are identified as Over Ground Workers (OGWs) of JeM, the DGP said.
Speaking to reporters, Harcharan Singh Bhullar, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Ropar, said the men were held from Batala Bus Stand and Gurdaspur in connection with the murder of cab driver, Anil Kumar (32). “The accused are being produced before the court today (Tuesday). Their police remand has been sought to gather complete details and uncover their actual plan,” the DIG said.
Reported missing on August 29, Kumar was later found shot dead near the Airport Road in Mohali. The assailants allegedly fled with his Swift Dzire car and belongings. The case was registered on August 31 at Nayagaon police station after Kumar’s wife, Sudha Devi, reported him missing. She told the police that her husband had left home at 8.30 am on August 29 for a ride from Kharar to Chandigarh railway station, but did not return. His phones remained switched off throughout the day.
Harmandeep Singh Hans, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Mohali, formed multiple police teams, carried out technical surveillance and gathered ground intelligence, which led to the arrests, the police said. Investigators also recovered the vehicle which was stolen after the murder, along with a .32 bore pistol used in the crime.
Questioning revealed that the trio booked Kumar’s cab on the pretext of travelling to Chandigarh Railway Station, officers said. They, however, diverted the route via Airport Road, and at Kandala village, they shot him in the head before fleeing with the vehicle. The police also recovered three empty shell cartridges from the crime scene.
“The snatched vehicle and the .32 bore pistol used in the crime have been recovered. During interrogation, the accused confessed to having fatally shot the driver after an altercation and later disposed of the body in the Mohali area,” the DGP claimed, adding that search operations are underway to retrieve the victim’s body.
“In a major breakthrough, @Sasnagar (Mohali) police busts a terror module linked to Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and apprehends 3 persons from J&K in abduction & murder of a cab driver and recovers a weapon & vehicle,” he posted on X.
With inputs from PTI
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