Suspended DySP, 4 others granted 15-day NIA custody

JAMMU: Suspended Deputy Superintendent of Jammu and Kashmir Police Davinder Singh, who was arrested last month while allegedly transporting two Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists, was sent to 15-day NIA custody along with four co-accused on Thursday.
The suspended officer was produced in the special NIA court from Sub-Jail Hiranagar, whereas four other accused namely Syed Naveed Mushtaq Shah alias Naveed Babu, Rafi Ahmed Rather, Irfan Shafi Mir and Syed Irfan Ahmed were produced from the Central Jail, Kot Bhalwal through video conference.
The NIA demanded 15-day custody of the accused to interrogate the five, and the Special Judge NIA Jammu Subash C Gupta granted the request.
Judge Gupta observed that keeping in view the facts and the circumstances of the case, gravity and heinousness of the crime as involved in the present matter, submissions made by the CIO and the stage of the investigation of the case, the custodial interrogation of the accused is imperative to facilitate the ongoing investigation.
“Accordingly, the prayer made by the NIA seems genuine and justified,” he noted before granting 15-day custody of the five to NIA.
Singh was caught along with two terrorists Naveed Babu and Rafi Ahmed, and a lawyer Irfan Ahmed in a Jammu-bound vehicle on January 11, while Babu’s brother Syed Irfan, a Phd student was arrested last week from Jammu, when he was visiting his parents.
Police sources had said that the two terrorists and the lawyer had planned a travel to Pakistan after reaching Jammu.
Singh was posted with the anti-hijacking wing of Jammu and Kashmir police in Srinagar, and was part of the security staff that received a group of foreign ambassadors who visited Kashmir earlier this month.
After initial investigation by Jammu and Kashmir police, the case was transferred to NIA on the direction of Ministry of Home Affairs.