J&K: Police Attaches 2 Residential Houses in South Kashmir for 'Harbouring' Militants

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir police on Wednesday attached two residential houses in South Kashmir where two separate encounters had taken place in 2019 and 2020, officials said.

In a statement, the police said the properties were attached after obtaining legal sanction from the authorities. The police attached a residential house belonging to Sanaullah Mir, a resident of Turigam village, after obtaining legal sanction from the administration on October 31. The house, the police claimed, was linked in case FIR No.10/2023 under section 302, 307 RPC, 7/27 A act, 13, 16, 18, 19, 20, 38, 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) where three top militants believed to be affiliated with Jaish-e-Mohammad were killed in an encounter.

In the encounter, reported in February 2019, a Dy SP rank police officer Aman Kumar Thakur and an army soldier Soumveer were also killed.

“The investigation proved beyond doubt that the said house was used for the purpose of terrorism, sheltering, harbouring terrorists. Process has started for attachment properties which have been used for the purpose of militancy as per Section 2(g) and 25 of the Act,” the police said.

Meanwhile, the police in Awantipora also attached the property of Azad Ahmad Teli, a resident of Beighpora village in Awantipora, in a case related to FIR no. 58/2020 under Section 307 IPC, 7/27 A by the orders of Court of Special Judge Pulwama.

The police added that the attachment order under Section 33 UAPA is a first of its kind action taken by the J&K Police in the region.

The case was registered with regard to an operation between security forces and militants at Teli’s residence in which two militants, including Hizbul Mujahideen’s top commander Riyaz Ahmad Naikoo and his associate Adil Ahmad Bhat, were killed. Teli was also arrested April 1, 2020 for allegedly providing shelter to Naikoo and Bhat.

“The Honourable Court attached the residential house of accused Azad Ahmad Teli existing on land measuring 07 marlas bearing survey No. 2317 Min and the said land is recorded as "Aabadi Deh" classified as "Gair Mumkin Aabadi",” police said.

The J&K police and its investigation units have seized properties worth hundreds of crores in the region in the past few years. They have made several appeals to people in recent years discouraging them from harbouring or providing shelter to militants.  In Feburary this year, J&K police’s Special Investigation Unit (SIU) attached four houses in the summer capital of Srinagar under the UAPA for allegedly harbouring and providing support to militants of The Resistance Front – believed to be an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) outfit.

The action comes at a time when three back-to-back attacks have been carried out by suspected militants in the valley since Sunday. A policeman and a non-local labourer were killed and another police inspector sustained serious injuries. Meanwhile, in the wake of the attacks the police have beefed up security across the region and heightened security measures to thwart similar attacks.