J&K cops bust Lashkar cell, claim link to Modi plot & Dalal St ‘strike’

The module, police claimed, had connections with the two suspected LeT operatives, who were gunned down in Ahmedabad on June 15, allegedly during a mission to assassinate Gujarat Chief Minister Narender Modi.

‘‘This module was also responsible for the assasinations of Moulvi Mushtaq Ahmad, uncle of Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, DIG Mohammad Amin Bhat and several political activists of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party. They were now planning a series of actions on security installations in Delhi, Pune and the Bombay Stock Exchange,’’ Sharma added.

‘‘The leaders, Ahmad and Hafiz, were killed today morning, when they tried to escape from police custody at Astanpora, following an attack on the police party. Five security force personnel were also injured in the attack. Two rifles were recovered from the encounter site,’’ the DGP said.

The slain commanders (Ahmad and Hafiz) had established three independent modules, with each group comprising four militants, police said.

‘‘The Hassan group specialised in carrying out IED attacks, the Osman group co-ordinated Fidayeen attacks, while the Rehman group was assigned to carry out high-profile political killings,’’ said Sharma.

The DGP said the group had established strong links with Hizbul Mujahideen and Al-Omar militant outfits.

‘‘The tie-up is over six months old and they had started sharing weapons, Intelligence and contacts for carrying out subsversive activities,’’ he said.

Sharma said the recent arrest of Hakeem Javid Iqbal of Hizbul Mujahideen, along with Abdul Rehman alias Mudasir of Lashkar, led arrest of the Lashkar group.

‘‘They were receiving instructions from across the border. The death of the two commanders is a major blow to the LeT,’’ the Director General of Police told reporters here today .