TRF commander's property attached under UAPA in Srinagar

Srinagar, Oct 4 (PTI) Police on Saturday attached the property of Sajad Ahmad Sheikh, head of The Resistance Front (TRF) terror outfit and the alleged mastermind of the Pahalgam attack, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act here, an official said.

The TRF is a proxy of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit. The NIA had designated Sajad Ahmad Sheikh alias Sajad Gul a terrorist in April 2022 and announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head.

"In a significant step towards dismantling terror networks and their support structures, Srinagar Police has attached a three-storey residential house constructed over 15 marlas of land located at Rose Avenue, in HMT locality of the city," a police spokesman said.

The spokesperson said the ownership of the property, valued at approximately Rs two crore, is in the name of Ghulam Mohammad Sheikh, father of designated terrorist Sajad Ahmad Sheikh alias Sajad Gul, according to the revenue records and verification from Tehsildar Central, Shalteng, Srinagar.

Though the property is registered in the name of the terrorist's father, investigation has revealed that Gul is an active stakeholder, he said.

"The attachment has been executed in connection with FIR No. 235/2022 under sections 13, 38, 20 UAPA and 2/3 EIMCO Act, registered at Police Station Parimpora," the spokesman added.

Proceedings were initiated under Section 25 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), empowering authorities to attach properties used or intended to be used for terrorist activities. The action was carried out in the presence of the concerned executive magistrate, the spokesperson said.

"He (Gul) has been involved in facilitating terrorism, running anti-national propaganda and inciting disaffection against the Government through various online and social media platforms," he said.

This attachment forms part of the ongoing strategy of Srinagar Police to disrupt the financial, logistical and operational networks of terrorism, including their cross-border sponsors and sympathisers, the spokesperson said.

Holed up in the Cantonment town of Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Gul has been named as the mastermind in several terror attacks in the Kashmir valley, including the April 22 Pahalgam attack that left 26 persons, mostly tourists, dead.

He was allegedly involved in targeted killings between 2020 and 2024 in Central and South Kashmir, grenade attacks in Central Kashmir in 2023, the ambush of J&K police personnel in Bijbehara in Anantnag, Gagangir and the Z-Morh Tunnel attack in Ganderbal.

He was also allegedly involved in the killing of senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari in the Press Enclave here in June 2018. PTI SSB APL RT