Pulwama Attack: NIA Arrests Father-Daughter Duo For Their Involvement In Suicide Bombing

Days after arresting an operative of Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed for alleged involvement in the Pulwama terror attack last year, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has now arrested a father-daughter duo in connection with the February 14 suicide bombing. “In the continuing investigation of the Pulwama attack case in which 40 CRPF personnel were martyred, NIA has arrested two more accused – 50-year-old Tariq Ahmed Shah and his daughter Insha Jan, aged 23 years,” NIA said in a release.

According to NIA sources, the father-daughter duo has been arrested from Jammu Kashmir’s Lethpora area. The two were arrested on early Tuesday morning after senior officials of the NIA raided their house on Monday night. With these, the total number of arrests in the cases has increased to three. The arrests were made on the revelations by Shakir Bashir Magrey, who was arrested by the anti-terror probe agency on February 28.

Accused Tariq facilitated all the terrorists at his house for sheltering and for the planning of the heinous attack on the CRPF convoy.  His house was also used by terrorists for preparing and recording of video of Adil Ahmed Dar, which was released by Jaish-e-Mohammad soon after the Pulwama attack.

Insha Jan, the daughter of Tariq Ahmed Shah, facilitated the terrorists at their home and provided food and other logistics during their stay on more than 15 occasions for 2-4 days each time, in their house during the year 2018-2019.

Initial interrogation revealed that Insha Jan was in constant touch with Pakistani IED maker Umar Farooq and was in communication with him over the telephone and other social media applications.

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The attack on the CRPF convoy, moving from Jammu towards Srinagar on February 14 last year in Pulwama, with an IED-laden vehicle by Jaish terrorist Dar had claimed lives of 40 CRPF personnel and grievously injured many others.