J&K police was not consulted in Liaqat's arrest: Sources

New Delhi: National Investigation Agency (NIA) has discovered that the Jammu and Kashmir Police was not consulted before Hizbul terrorist Liaqat Shah was arrested by the Delhi Police from Nepal border, sources said on Wednesday. Liaqat was travelling with family as per the surrender policy and the J&K police was aware of his application to surrender.

Investigation is still on about the source of the AK 56 rifles and grenades found in old Delhi guest house, which the Delhi Police has alleged was for Liaqat, sources said. The Delhi Police had claimed he was plotting a major suicide attack during Holi in the national capital while the Jammu and Kashmir Police claimed he was on his way to surrender.

The case was transferred to the NIA after the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah intervened. 45-year-old Shah, a resident of Jammu and Kashmir, has been quizzed by special cell of Delhi Police since March 21.

The police had earlier said that Shah was apprehended on March 20 from Indo-Nepal border area near Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh and gave out during interrogation that he is a trained militant of banned terror group Hizbul Mujahideen and was settled in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Police had said that in January 2013, Shah and his associate Manzoor, a resident of Jammu and Kashmir, were directed by top ranks of Hizbul to carry out terror attacks in Delhi. It had said that upon disclosure of the accused, a huge consignment of arms, hand grenades and explosive material were recovered from a guest house in Jama Masjid area in New Delhi.

It had said that his associates, including Manzoor, are absconding. Delhi Police said a case was registered under sections 120 B(criminal conspiracy), 121 (waging war against government of India), 121A (conspiracy to commit offences against the State) and 123 (concealing with intent to facilitate design to wage war) of IPC against them.

According to Delhi Police, Shah had planned attacks to avenge the hanging of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru. J&K Police, however, supported the claims of Shah's family that he was a former militant who had surrendered before SSB on the Nepal border and was in a group returning from PoK under the rehabilitation policy.

(With Additional Inputs From PTI)