The Jammu & Kashmir Police have attached the house belonging to the family of Sheikh Sajjad, a designated terrorist associated with the militant group 'The Resistance Front' (TRF) [ADDED], under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). Sajjad, also known as Sajjad Gul is based in Pakistan and was designated as a terrorist by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in 2022. An off-shoot of the proscribed Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba, the TRF that had claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people – mostly tourists but also a local pony operator. Police said that it attached a three-storey residential house worth Rs 2 crore at Rose Avenue Colony in Srinagar's Zainakote. Police said the house is constructed over 15 marlas of land (0.10 acre). “The property, valued at approximately Rs 2 crore, stands recorded in the name of Ghulam Mohammad Sheikh son of Khawja Anwar Sheikh father of designated terrorist Sajad Ahmad Sheikh @Sajad Gul, as per revenue records and verification from Tehsildar Central, Shalteng, Srinagar,” police said in an official release. “Though the property is registered in the name of the terrorist’s father, investigation has revealed that Sajad Gul is an active stakeholder.” Police said that Gul has been “involved in facilitating terrorism, running anti-national propaganda, and inciting disaffection” against the government through various online and social media platforms. A resident of Srinagar, Gul is based in Pakistan for over a decade. In 2022, the MHA-designated him as a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) saying he is “absconding” and accusing him of “radicalising, motivating and recruiting youth of Jammu and Kashmir to support proscribed terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Toiba”. Police said the house was attached in connection with a 2022 FIR at Police Station Parimpora in Srinagar under the UAPA and the Egress and Internal Movement (Control) Ordinance (EIMCO) - an ordinance to control movement of people within the Union Territory. Police said the action was carried out in the presence of the executive magistrate. "This attachment forms part of the ongoing strategy of the police to disrupt the financial, logistical, and operational networks of terrorism, including their cross-border sponsors and sympathisers," the official release said. "The action sends a clear message that individuals or entities aiding terrorism will face strict legal consequences, including the forfeiture of illegally acquired assets".
