NIA takes custody of 5 accused arrested into LeT terrorist Mohammed Naveed Jat escape from SMHS hospital
Srinagar, February 15: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday took the custody of five accused arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir Police in connection with the escape of Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Mohammed Naveed Jatt from the SMHS hospital.
This comes three days after the NIA took charge over the investigation into Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist Mohammed Naveed Jat escape from the Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) hospital in Srinagar. All 5 accused including Shakeel Ahmed Bhat, Tika Khan, Syed Tajamul Islam, Mohammed Shafi Wani and Jan Mohammed Ganai are now in the custody of NIA. All 5 accused were arrested by the police are the resident of Pulwama.
The NIA spokesman said that the special court granted a two-day transit remand of the five accused who had been nabbed by the police on February 8, two days after the escape of 22-year-old Jatt alias Abu Hanzalla from the busy hospital in the city.
The spokesman said, “The NIA re-registered the case pertaining to the escape from custody of Jatt from the SMHS hospital where he was brought in for treatment on February 6,” adding, “The accused will be produced before the NIA special court at Jammu tomorrow for seeking police custody.”
BACKGROUND:
Two policemen Mushtaq Ahmed and Babar Ahmed were martyred after Mohammed Naveed Jat, who was taken for a routine check-up at the Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital, opened fire on 6th February. Jat’s compliance handed him a pistol after he ambushed the police team.
A day after the attack, terrorist group Hizbul Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the attack. Its commander Riyaz Naikoo released an eight-minute audio clip in which he said his men raided the hospital to free Jat, alias Abu Hanzula. Jat had reached South Kashmir safely, he added.
However, two days after Jat escaped from police custody, four people including two terrorists and two other Over Ground Worker (OGW) were arrested by the Special Investigation Team (SIT). Jat is known to be a close associate of Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Abu Qasim and was arrested from Kulgam in 2014.