Hizbul module busted in Shopian,say police

The J&K Police on Saturday claimed to have busted a Hizbul Mujahideen module in south Kashmirs Shopian town....

The J&K Police on Saturday claimed to have busted a Hizbul Mujahideen module in south Kashmirs Shopian town. The module,according to the police,was on a mission to regroup the militant outfit in the town.

Superintendent of Police,Shopian,Shahid Mehraj said the module was also responsible for the attack on National Conference’s Shopian town president Abdul Rehman Watchku on August 25,2009,when he was coming out of the mosque after offering Tarawih (special Ramzan prayers).

The NC leader was critically injured in the attack. An Imam of the mosque was also wounded in the shootout… Soon after the incident the police began investigations into the case, SP Mehraj said.

The investigators after a tip off arrested Jehangir Ahmad Malik,a resident of Shopian,and recovered a pistol from his possession. Jehangir was working with Hizbul Mujahideen. During questioning,he disclosed that a Hizb module was operating in the area which was responsible for the attack on the NC leader, police sources said. Later,three more membersRafiq Ahmed Sheikh,Mukhtar Ahmad Tantray and Shahidwere also arrested. An AK-47 was recovered from one of them.

Police sources said that the module was getting directions from across the border through Internet. The arrested militants had received directions to reorganise the Hizb cadre in Shopian,sources added.