National Investigation Agency Thursday filed charge-sheet in a case, RC 10/2018/NIA/DLI, relating to a fidayeen attack by three heavily armed Jaish militants on the CRPF Group Centre at Lethpura here, during the intervening night of 30/31 December, 2017. In the attack, five CRPF personnel had been killed and three others injured. During the ensuing operation, all the three militants had been killed. Initially, a case FIR 150/2017 was registered at Awantipora Police station. Considering its gravity, the NIA took over the investigation of the case on 27.02.2018.
A spokesman of probe agency said the charge sheet was filed in the NIA Special Court, Jammu, against four accused Fayaz Ahmad Magray of Lethpora, Awantipora, Nisar Ahmad Tantray of Dar Ganaie Gund, Tral, Awantipora, Syed Hilal Andrabi of Ratnipora, Pulwama and Irshad Ahmad Reshi of Ratnipora, Pulwama. He said the accused had been booked under sections 120B, 121, 121A, 122, 123, 302, 307, 325, 330, 436, 440, 457, 459 and 460 RPC, sections 7 and 25 of Arms Act, sections 3 and 4 of Explosives Substances Act, sections 18, 19, 20, 23 & 39 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and section 4 of Jammu and Kashmir Public Property (Prevention of Damage) Act, 1985. During investigation, he said, the identity of the three Fidayeen militants was established. He said two local militants among the attackers were identified as Fardeen Ahmad Khandey S/o Gulam Mohi-ud–din Khandey of Nazneenpora, Tral, Pulwama and Manzoor Ahmad Baba S/o Ali Mohd of Drubgam, Pulwama. While, the third Fidayeen militant was identified as Abdul Shakoor, a resident of Rawalakot, PaK. The spokesman said: “A recce of the CRPF Group Centre, Lethpora was done by Noor Muhammad Tantray along with other accused during the second week of December 2017.” However, he said before the attack could be launched, Tantray was killed in an encounter with security forces. He said Mufti Waqas, a Pakistani militant of JeM who took over as commander after Noor Mohammad, “immediately started planning the execution of attack at the centre at Lethpora to retaliate against the killing of Noor Tantray. “Accused Syed Hilal Andrabi, Irshad Ahmad Reshi, Fayaz Ahmad Magray, Nisar Ahmad Tantray, Mudasir Ahmad Khan and JeM commander Mufti Waqas (Pakistani) played a vital role in the conspiracy. Mufti Waqas and Mudasir Ahmad Khan were later killed in different encounters with security forces. “Accused Fayaz Ahmad Magray was an active associate of slain militant Noor Muhammad . Tantray played an active role in planning and execution of this attack. After the attack, in the month of January 2018, the role of Mudasir Ahmad Khan who was an OGW of JeM at that time came into knowledge of Police and a raid was conducted at his house. “Fayaz Ahmad Magray immediately facilitated Mudasir Ahmed Khan to join the JeM militant ranks as an active militant by arranging weapon through JeM commander Mufti Waqas. He also escorted him and helped him to cross the police check posts while escaping.” The probe agency spokesman said accused Syed Hilal Andrabi and Irshad Ahmed Reshi “facilitated the fidayeen attack by providing shelter, by extending logistic support and by transporting the fidayeens along with their arms and ammunition immediately before the attack.”The fourth accused charge-sheeted namely Nisar Ahmad Tantray is the younger brother of slain JeM commander Noor Mohd Tantray and he was also part of the said conspiracy, the spokesman said.
