Jammu and Kashmir leader, who contested 2014 assembly election, arrested for alleged terror links

Jammu: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday arrested an alleged arms dealer, who unsuccessfully contested the 2014 assembly election on a BJP ticket, in connection with a case related to suspended Deputy Superintendent of Police Davinder Singh who was caught while ferrying terrorists outside the Kashmir valley.

The accused, identified as Tariq Mir, a resident of Maldoora of Shopian district in south Kashmir, was the fifth person arrested in the case which came to light when Singh was arrested along with three terrorists including a most wanted Hizbul Mujahideen commander in January this year.

Mir, who was elected as Sarpanch on a National Conference ticket, had contested the 2014 assembly elections in the erstwhile state from Wachi assembly seat in South Kashmir on a BJP ticket. He secured a little over 1,000 votes in the election.

The NIA produced him before a special court here that remanded him to six days in the agency's custody after it was alleged that he had been indulging in arms supply to various terror groups operating in the valley and also had links with Singh.

The NIA, which has been carrying out investigations even during the time when the entire world is battling the novel coronavirus, is hopeful of getting more links during his interrogation.

Singh was arrested along with Hizbul Mujahideen commander Naveed Babu, his close associate and a lawyer who was working as an overground worker for terrorists at Mir Bazar on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway on January 11, while they were on their way to Jammu.

A large quantity of arms and ammunition were recovered from the house of Singh in Srinagar, right next to the Army's XV corps headquarters at Badami Bagh cantonment, where he had sheltered the trio before leaving for Jammu.

Last month, the Delhi Police's Special Cell had brought Singh and the other three accused to the national capital from different jails in Jammu and Kashmir as it was believed that the terrorists were planning to execute attacks in Delhi and other parts of the country and targeted killings of protected persons.