Special cell of Delhi Police arrests absconding Jaish terrorist from Srinagar

The Special Cell of Delhi Police has arrested an absconding Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist from Srinagar, who was planning to go to Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK), officials said Tuesday.

The 51-year-old, who was carrying a reward of Rs 2 lakh, has been identified as Abdul Mazeed Baba, a resident of Sopore in Jammu and Kashmir, they said.

According to the police, Mazeed, along with his two associates, was convicted by the Delhi High Court in 2014 for delivering a consignment of arms, ammunition and explosives to Pakistan-based terrorist Shahid Gafoor in the national capital. The police said that Mazeed had been evading arrest since 2014 when a non-bailable warrant was issued against him. The Delhi Police sent a team to Jammu and Kashmir to nab him in the case.

On March 25, one of the three convicted persons, Fayaz Ahmed Lone, was arrested from Srinagar. During investigation, it was learnt that Mazeed was planning to escape to PoK, the police said.

"However, the police got a tip-off on Saturday that Mazeed will come to Shere-e-Kashmir Institute Medical Sciences Hospital in Shoura area in Srinagar. "Subsequently, a trap was laid and Mazeed was arrested from near SKIMS Hospital," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said at a press conference.

Yadav said that on February 4, 2007, police had arrested four members of JeM -- Shahid Gafoor, a resident of Pakistan, Bashir Ahmed, Lone and Mazeed, from Jammu and Kashmir -- after a brief encounter at Deen Dayal Upadhayay Marg in Delhi.

Three kilograms of highly explosive material, four detonators, one timer, six hand grenades, one pistol, Rs 50,000 and fake USD 10,000 were recovered from their possession, police claimed.

During interrogation in 2007, the accused persons revealed that they are active members of JeM.They, along with Haider, who was from Pakistan and was district commander Sopore of JeM, had hatched a conspiracy of a big terrorist attack in Delhi.

Gafoor also revealed that he had illegally crossed over to India twice in 1998 and in 2002. He remained in Jammu and Kashmir and carried out ghastly attack on Rashtriya Rifles camp, police said.On August 7, 2013, the lower court in Delhi convicted Gafoor and acquitted Ponnu, Lone and Mazeed.

When police appealed against their acquittal, the Delhi High Court convicted all the acquitted three terrorists, the DCP said. After being convicted, Ponnu, Lone and Baba did not surrender and later, non-bailable warrants were issued against them several times since 2014 but no one turned up and a reward of Rs 2 lakh was declared on their arrest, the police added.