NIA arrests juvenile in J-K’s Dhangri terror attack case

PTI

Jammu, January 21

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a juvenile in connection with the 2023 Dhangri terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district that claimed the lives of seven civilians.

He is third accused to be arrested by the agency in the case.

Thirteen people were also injured when terrorists struck Dangri village on January 1 last year and opened indiscriminate fire. They also left behind an improvised explosive device (IED) which went off the next morning.

The juvenile, who was already lodged at an observation home in Jammu district’s RS Pura area in another case, was taken into custody by the NIA and presented before the Juvenile Justice Board in Rajouri for remand, a spokesperson of the agency said.

Earlier, a case was registered against him at the Gursai police station in Poonch district’s Mendhar tehsil.

The spokesperson said that the terror attack case, which was initially registered at the Rajouri police station, was subsequently taken over and re-registered by the NIA on January 13 last year.

The investigations by the NIA revealed the involvement of the arrested juvenile, along with previously apprehended individuals Nisar Ahmed and Mushtaq Hussain, he said.

Hussain and Ahmed were arrested on August 31 last year and are currently lodged at the Central Jail, Kot Bhalwal, in Jammu.

The duo provided logistical support to the terrorists for over two months, harbouring them in a hideout constructed on the directives of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) handler Saifullah alias Abu Qatal alias Mohd Qasim, the spokesperson said.

NIA officials, operating in the hilly terrains of Rajouri, Poonch and Reasi districts pursued leads in their search for the perpetrators.

A team of NIA officials also examined a large number of suspicious entities and later zeroed in on the accused persons who had provided logistical support to the terrorists.

Investigations in the case are still under process, the spokesperson said.

Family members of the seven people killed in the terror attack have called for a protest in September against an alleged delay in action by security agencies over the incident.

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