Retired Army Personnel Turned LeT ‘Terrorist’ Apprehended In Delhi

Officials said on Tuesday that the Delhi Police had arrested a person who they think is a part of the Lashkar-e-Taiba module that works in Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir. They said that the accused, a retired soldier, was very helpful in getting weapons and ammo from across the Line of Control (LoC).

The suspect was caught on Sunday at the New Delhi Railway Station. His name is Riyaz Ahmad Rather and he lives in the Kupwara district, according to the police.

Police say Riyaz quit last year after serving as a havildar in the Indian Army.

A top police officer said that he, along with Khursheed Ahmad Rather and Ghulam Sarwar Rather, planned a scheme to get weapons and ammunition from terrorists across the Line of Control.

On Sunday, the police in Jammu and Kashmir were told that Riyaz Ahmad Rather was wanted in connection with the recent terror module case that they broke. Five people were arrested, and evidence including five short AK rifles, five AK magazines, and sixteen short AK rounds were found, he said.

The officer said that these weapons and ammo came from Manzoor Ahmad Sheikh alias Shakoor, who lives in Gabra Karnah, and Qazi Mohammad Khushal, who lives in Dhanni Karnah. Both of them were working for the LeT from across the border in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Riyaz was said to be running away and to expect to arrive at New Delhi Railway Station very early in the morning. At the train stop, a team was put together and sent out. According to the officer, Riyaz was caught when he tried to escape from exit gate number 1 early in the morning.

The police said that he and his friend Altaf got on the Mahakaushal Express in Jabalpur and got to the Hazarat Nizamuddin railway stop around 3 p.m. on Saturday.

There was an auto-rickshaw that took them to the New Delhi Railway Station. They said Riyaz was going to go to another place to hide.

Riyaz is thought to have gotten weapons and ammo from Khursheed Ahmad Rather and Ghulam Sarwar Rather, who have both already been arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir Police. The cops said that Riyaz and his friend Altaf left the Indian Army on January 31, 2023.

Authorities say they have found one cell phone and one SIM card on Riyaz.

Under the right parts of the law, Riyaz has been arrested. The cops say that the Jammu and Kashmir cops have been told so that they can take whatever action is needed.