LeT operative from Uttar Pradesh Sandeep Sharma wanted to marry a Kashmiri girl

Struck by cupid in the valley of Kashmir, Sandeep Sharma of Muzaffarnagar held by J&K police last Sunday for waging war against the country, wanted to marry a Kashmiri girl ‘at any cost’.
Police arrests Lashkar-e-Taiba militant Sandeep Kumar Sharma resident of Uttar Pradesh from the same house where LeT commander Bashir Lashkari was killed on July 1 at a press conference in Srinagar on Monday. | PTI
Police arrests Lashkar-e-Taiba militant Sandeep Kumar Sharma resident of Uttar Pradesh from the same house where LeT commander Bashir Lashkari was killed on July 1 at a press conference in Srinagar on Monday. | PTI

LUCKNOW: Struck by cupid in the valley of Kashmir, Sandeep Sharma of Muzaffarnagar held by J&K police last Sunday for waging war against the country, wanted to marry a Kashmiri girl ‘at any cost’.

As a pre-condition to marriage, he converted to Islam and renamed himself Adil about a year ago. Sharing these inputs after interrogation of the youth by a team of UP ATS, IG Aseem Arun said Sandeep’s multipleflings led him to the path of terror. 

Sandeep had a driving licence in his name and used to ferry arms of the terror operatives from one location to other, said the interrogation report.

Despite knowing the repercussions of his association with terror elements, his romantic affiliations stopped him from keeping himself away from anti-national activities. He eventually joined Lashkar ultras and its leaders gave him arms training in Kulgam last year in November and December, said the report.

The ATS sleuths could also make out from his interrogation that initially Sandeep, aka Adil, was interested in more than one girls in the Valley, but finally he decided to be loyal to one woman.

The UP ATS sleuths, who had gone to the Valley to quiz Sandeep, found that he was contemplating to marry soon. Unravelling  Sandeep’s journey from Muzaffarnagar to Kulgam in Kashmir, the ATS sleuths   said that he operated on expected lines.

In search of employment, Sandeep left his home town Muzaffarnagar and moved to Punjab six years ago when he was a teenager. Having learnt the nuances of gas metal welding from his father before his death, Sandeep found work in Patiala.

During the winters, a large chunk of young men move down to Himachal, Punjab and other parts of the country from Jammu and Kashmir.

“Sandeep came in contact with some Kashmiri youths in Patiala. The friendship deepened and he started frequenting the Valley in summers for odd jobs along with them,” added IG Arun.

He started off with petty crime by stealing construction material and graduated to ATM heists. He learned to operate arms. On June 16, when six policemen were gunned down in Achabal area of Anantnag district, it was Sandeep aka Adilwho drove the vehicle ferrying terrorists.

On Monday, Jammu and Kashmir police arrested Sharma and Kulgam residentMuneeb Shah for indulging in terror incidents. The ATS sleuths suspected him to be involved in half a dozen ATM robberies across Kashmir.

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