New Delhi: The Jammu and Kashmir deputy superintendent of police arrested on Saturday for escorting terrorists has claimed he was organising the surrender of the two Hizbul men but police investigation shows no one among the higher-ups was kept in the loop about his plans.
Sources told CNN News18 that in his preliminary interrogation, Singh has claimed he was accompanying Hizbul Mujahideen Commander Syed Naveed Mushtaq and terrorist Rafi Rather to organise their surrender. Lawyer-turned-overground worker Irfan Shafi Mir was also with them. “He has made this claim of surrender but we are investigating,” an officer said.
A joint team of Jammu and Kashmir Police, IB and other intelligence agencies are probing Singh and his associates. Sources say arrested terrorists when questioned about the surrender claim denied knowledge of such a plan.
“Preliminary probe shows Singh offered help to the terrorists to cross Banihal tunnel in lieu of money,” a Jammu and Kashmir police officer told CNN News18.
Officials said Rs 12 lakh was the amount agreed upon. Singh himself sat in the vehicle in the hope that no one will stop the car being driven by a DySP.
The joint interrogation team has established that Singh had no authorisation to organise surrender of the Hizbul terrorists. "No one in the police or agencies was kept in the loop about his plans," a source said.
Investigation has revealed that Naveed Mushtaq alias Babu, who is a former cop, and his aides had offered money to Singh for safe passage to Jammu and shelter.
Mushtaq is the prime accused in the recent killings of truckers in apple orchards of south Kashmir.
Preliminary probe suggests Singh had on at least five other occasions ferried terrorists across Banihal and given them shelter in Jammu when the army-police operations increased on terrorists in the Valley.
Officials said the terrorists were staying at Singh's residence before they travelled in his personal private vehicle. Investigators said Mir, who is a former lawyer, has visited Pakistan five times and was in regular touch with handlers there.
Probe is on to see if the terrorists were planning any attack on the eve of Republic Day and if Singh was aware of such plans.
Police officials said cops often infiltrate terror groups to gather intelligence but the case of Singh has raised eyebrows since his name has come up earlier too for underhand dealings.
"What he did was purely illegal and that is why he is being investigated like a terrorist now," an officer said.
Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru had alleged in a written affidavit that Singh had forced him to carry the terrorists for the strike to Delhi, hire a flat there and also buy a second-hand white ambassador car for their use.
It was this white ambassador car that the terrorists used during the Parliament attack in 2001.
In 2015, Singh had been accused of extorting money from truckers. He allegedly threatened them with implication in false terror cases if they did not pay up.
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