NIA Announces Rs 10 Lakh Reward For Details Leading To Arrest Of TRF Chief Basit Ahmed Dar

Basit, a resident of Redwani’s Kulgam, who had been missing from his home since April last year joined The Resistance Front (TRF), a front organization of Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has announced a cash bounty of Rs 10 lakh on Kulgam-based The Resistance Front (TRF) commander militant Basit Ahmed Dar. The reward money has been announced in case 32/2021/NIA/DLI registered against Basit Ahmed Dar of Redwani Payeen, Kulgam in south Kashmir. According to officials, Basit was the mastermind behind the spat of civilian killings in October. Basit, a resident of Redwani’s Kulgam, who had been missing from his home since April last year joined The Resistance Front (TRF), a front organisation of Lashkar-e-Taiba.

"The identity of the informer who gets him arrested shall be kept a secret," the NIA said.

According to security officials, Basit Ahmed Dar started his killing spree while taking orders from slain TRF commander Abbas Sheikh. After the latter was gunned down by forces, Basit declared himself the chief of TRF.

TRF was created after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. Indian agencies claim that the outfit is nothing but an offshoot of LeT.

This comes as the NIA on Friday arrested two over-ground workers of the proscribed Lashkar-e-Taiba who were actively involved in transporting weapons and funds on the directions of their Pakistan-based handlers, news agency PTI reported.

NIA investigation revealed that terror groups were delivering hardware and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) for attacks in Jammu and Kashmir either through drones or these were assembled locally.

Mushaib Fayaz Baba alias Shoaib (20) and Hilal Yaqoob Deva alias Sethi Soab (35) hail from Shopian district in south Kashmir and were working for Pakistan-based commanders and handlers of proscribed terror organisations such as the LeT and its shadow outfit The Resistance Front (TRF), among others.

The agency said the arrests came on the heels of a series of raids on the residences of over-ground workers (OGWs) of the banned organisations and their newly-floated offshoots and affiliates in recent days.

Several digital devices were seized and scrutinised by the agency as part of its investigations in the case, it said.