Srinagar, 7 April

Police in Jammu and Kashmir have busted a "deep-rooted" interstate Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) module and arrested five people, including a Pakistani terrorist who had been on the run for 16 years and successfully established bases outside the Union Territory, officials said on Tuesday.

Pakistani terrorist Abdullah, alias Abu Hureira, was captured on Monday along with another Pakistani national, Usman alias Khubaib, in a major operation that comes six months after the dismantling of a "white-collar" terror cell centred at Faridabad's Al Falah University.

The operation, which began on 31 March and was monitored by Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat, who camped in Srinagar, has unveiled the funding and financial pattern of the LeT, officials said.

The terrorists used forged documents and identities to create a network not just in Jammu and Kashmir, but in several other states, they added.

Over the last few days, Srinagar police, along with police forces of other states and central agencies, carried out searches at 19 locations across Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, and Haryana. The raids led to the recovery of a large cache of weapons, including four AK assault rifles, pistols, hand grenades, and electronic gadgets.

According to officials, three Srinagar residents identified as Mohammad Naqeeb Bhat, Adil Rashid Bhat, and Ghulam Mohammad Mir alias Mama, were among the five arrested. They are accused of providing shelter, food and logistical support to the terrorists.

The two Pakistani terrorists are categorised as 'A+' grade militants, and the officials said they infiltrated India approximately 16 years ago and remained active across various districts of the Kashmir Valley, commanding around 40 foreign terrorists over the years, most of whom have since been neutralised, the officials said.

Forged documents with addresses from other states were recovered from Abdullah and Usman, indicating the use of false identities to facilitate movement outside the valley. Probe findings also suggest that one foreign terrorist managed to travel outside the country on a valid passport made from forged documents.

More arrests could be in the offing with an investigation in progress to identify additional associates, financiers, facilitators, safe houses and inter-state linkages, they said.

Incriminating material has been seized from several hideouts in various parts of Srinagar and other cities. These include three AK-47 rifles, one AK-Krinkov rifle, pistols, hand grenades, electronic equipment and gadgets, the officials said.

Besides, forged documents with addresses located in other states have also been recovered from Abdullah and Usman, indicating the use of false identities and possible facilitation channels outside Jammu and Kashmir.

The elaborate network began to unravel on 31 March when the first of the three Srinagar residents, Naqeeb Bhat, was arrested from the Pandach area along with a pistol and other incriminating material.

During his questioning, he said that he was part of the LeT and procured the arms and ammunition from another associate, Adil Rashid of Zakoora. He also provided support to foreign terrorists, the officials said.

From Bhat, police were led to Mir and Rashid Bhat, both active associates in Srinagar. The officials said the probe indicates that a foreign terrorist managed to travel outside the country on the basis of forged documents and identity with the help of the Lashkar-e-Taiba network in other states.

During the investigation, following disclosures from those arrested, various hideouts were also busted in forested areas in and around Srinagar.

In the earlier 'Al Falah operation' in November 2025, Srinagar police unravelled a network comprising highly educated professionals, mostly doctors, who had been radicalised to carry out terrorist activities.

One of the accused was the Al Falah University’s Dr Umer-un Nabi, who was driving the explosives-laden car that detonated outside the Red Fort on November 10 killing more than a dozen people. He had earlier made unsuccessful attempts to join terror groups in 2016 and 2018, the officials said.