NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is likely to charge sheet Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar and the group’s Rauf Asghar as the masterminds of the 2019 Pulwama terror attack which claimed the lives of 40 CRPF personnel.
The charge sheet, likely to be filed next week, will provide details of how the conspirators planned and procured explosives for the February 14 attack, sources in the investigating agency said. The source said about 20 kg RDX was used in the attack and it was brought from Pakistan.
They said ammonium nitrate and nitro-glycerin used in the attack were locally procured. Terrorists from Pakistan infiltrated into India via Samba sector. An accused in the case, Iqbal Rather, reportedly confessed that he escorted 22 terrorists from the border to the Valley on a moonless night. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has collected electronic evidence of the infiltration.
Rather, according to the NIA, belongs to the transportation module of Jaish-e-Mohammed. The phone of an accused Umer Farooq had many videos which helped the NIA in its probe. One of the videos reportedly shows Farooq cutting the fence. Pakistani national Farooq entered India in April 2018 and was allegedly the main assembler of the IED, used in the attack. He was killed in an encounter on March 29, 2020 along with IED expert Kamran.