Wanted ultra among 3 held

JAMMU: A wanted Jaish-e-Mohammad militant with Rs 2 lakh bounty on his head and two more youth who allegedly killed a civilian last month and were on their way to join militants were arrested on Tuesday, whereas a local youth from Pulwama shunned militancy and returned to the mainstream.
A major catch was made by Delhi Police’s Special Cell which nabbed a wanted Jaish-e-Mohammad militant, carrying a reward of Rs 2 lakh on his head, from Srinagar.
According to police, Bashir Ahmad Ponnu was arrested in Srinagar and will be brought to Delhi.
He was an absconding convict in the 2007 UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) case.
Ponnu, a resident of Sopore was on the run and the search for over four years came to an end on Monday.
Ponnu was acquitted by the trial court in 2013. The verdict was later overturned by the Delhi High Court in 2014. His activities over the past four years are also being probed by the police.
Meanwhile, two youths have been arrested for allegedly killing a shopkeeper in Baramulla district, with the police claiming that the duo were in the process of joining militants and had acted at their behest.
A senior police official said that Auqib Hajam and Auqib Shalla were in the process of joining militant ranks and were tasked with killing some people suspected to be informers of security forces.
The duo arrested in connection with the killing of the shopkeeper, Sameer Ahmad, on 30 June. Their accomplice Uzair Amin, who had provided the pistol, joined militant ranks immediately after the killing of Ahangar, the officer said.
He said police managed to nab Hajam and Shalla after getting some vital leads during questioning of several suspects.
"The accused have revealed that several other persons were on the target of the militants. We have put these people on the alert so that they are not harmed," the officer said.
Police on Tuesday also claimed that a youth from south Kashmir’s Pulwama district shunned militancy and returned to the mainstream.
Taking to social networking site Twitter, Police wrote on Twitter: “One more individual with the help of Community members and Police in Pulwama has returned back to mainstream.”
His Identity was not revealed for the security reasons.