SRINAGAR: The National Investigation Agency’s probe into last year’s Pulwama terror strike that killed 40 CRPF personnel, which had virtually reached a dead end, saw a major breakthrough on Tuesday after the agency arrested a man and his daughter who allegedly were witness to the conspiracy behind the attack. The NIA arrested Tariq Ahmed Shah and his daughter Insha Jan after the investigation led to their house at Hakripora in Pulwama district of south Kashmir, where a video was filmed by Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist Adil Ahmed Dar, who rammed an explosive-ridden car into the CRPF convoy on February 14, 2019. The video was released from Pakistan after the attack.
“The NIA on Tuesday arrested Tariq Ahmed Shah, 50, and his daughter Insha January 23, during a raid at their house in village Hakripora. Tariq provided safe haven to all militants in his house for planning the Pulwama attack,” an NIA spokesperson said. The spokesperson added that during interrogation Tariq, a truck driver, told the interrogators that his house was used by Adil (suicide bomber), Mohammad Umar Farooq (Pakistani militant and IED maker), Kamran (another Pakistani terrorist), Sameer Ahmed Dar (a Jaish militant) and Mohammad Ismail alias Ibrahim alias Adnan (a Pakistani militant). He facilitated the terrorists by sheltering them at his house, an NIA spokesman said.
While Adil was killed in the bombing, others, including Farooq, Kamran and Ismail were killed in encounters with security forces. Insha Jan (23) also facilitated the terrorists, provided them food and other logistics during their stay at the house on more than 15 occasions, for two-four days each time, during 2018-2019, the spokesperson said. “Her interrogation revealed that she was in constant touch with Pakistani militant and IED maker Mohammad Umar Farooq over phone and through social media applications,” he said. The development comes five days after the NIA arrested a furniture shop owner Shakir Bashir Magrey from Hajibal. Shakir was a close aide of Adil.