AK-47, Pistol and

Explosives Were Recovered from College Hostel

Mohali, 04 June (H.S.): The special NIA court in Mohali

has sentenced three Kashmiri accused linked to the terror outfit Ansar

Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGH) to 10 years’ imprisonment each in connection with the

recovery of a large cache of weapons from a college hostel in Jalandhar. The

court also imposed a fine of Rs 1.10 lakh on each convict.

The convicts have been identified as Yasir Rafiq Bhat,

Zahid Gulzar and Mohammad Idris Shah. The court found them guilty of hatching

an anti-national conspiracy and convicted them under the Unlawful Activities

(Prevention) Act, the Arms Act and the Explosive Substances Act. Another

accused in the case, Suhail Ahmad Bhat, had already been acquitted by the court

earlier.

On October 10, 2018, when Punjab Police received

information that some Kashmiri students staying at the hostel of CT Institute

of Engineering, Management and Technology in Jalandhar were involved in

suspicious activities. Acting on the input, the police conducted a raid and

arrested three students. During the operation, an AK-47 rifle, a Mauser pistol,

several cartridges and nearly one kilogram of explosive material were

recovered.

After initial investigation indicated links with the

terror outfit Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, the case was handed over to the National

Investigation Agency. During its detailed probe, the NIA collected mobile

forensic data, call detail records, Telegram chats, email records and other

technical evidence. The investigation revealed that the accused were allegedly

coordinating and carrying out activities through online platforms.

During the trial, the prosecution examined 62 witnesses,

including investigating officers, forensic experts, college administration

officials and other related persons. Although some witnesses turned hostile

during the proceedings, the court considered the available scientific and

physical evidence sufficient to convict the accused.

In its judgment, the court said the three accused were

active members of the banned terror outfit and were preparing to carry out

anti-national activities using weapons and explosive material. The court

considered the recovered weapons, digital records and other evidence as crucial

in the case.

Yasir Rafiq Bhat remained the most discussed accused in

the case, as the investigation revealed that he was a cousin of Zakir Musa, the

former chief of Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind. Investigators had claimed that material

related to the outfit, pictures of weapons and other digital evidence were

recovered from his mobile phone. A loaded AK-47 rifle and cartridges were also

allegedly recovered from his room.

Digital evidence played an important role in strengthening the NIA’s case.

The agency told the court that mobile forensic data, call records, Telegram

chats and email records helped establish links between the accused and their

activities. The court accepted these technical evidence as key grounds for

conviction.

Hindusthan Samachar / GURSHARAN SINGH