NEW DELHI/SRINAGAR– Jammu and Kashmir Police have arrested a man accused of providing logistical support to the terrorists who carried out the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 people.
The suspect, identified as Mohammad Yousuf Katari of Kulgam district, was taken into custody after forensic analysis linked him to weapons and equipment recovered during Operation Mahadev in July. That operation ended with security forces killing three militants tied to the attack.
Police said Katari, described as an overground worker for The Resistance Front (TRF), had been questioned two days earlier before his arrest. Investigators allege he provided shelter, guidance, and other assistance to a terrorist later killed in the Dachigam forest during the July operation. Katari has been placed in 14 days of police custody.
According to officials, Katari had been working a contractual job and also tutored children before coming into contact with militants. He allegedly helped them navigate Kulgam’s forests in the months leading up to the Pahalgam attack.
The case is also under investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which previously arrested two Pahalgam residents—Parvaiz Ahmad Jothar and Bashir Ahmad Jothar—for harboring the attackers. Both admitted to providing food and shelter to the gunmen. Another Handwara resident was also detained in connection with funding activities.
Investigators are analyzing nearly 450 phone numbers tied to terror-related cases dating back to 2011. They have traced foreign funding linked to TRF, including money routed through Malaysia and Pakistan. Officials say Yasir Hayat, a suspected operative, was instructed by Pakistani handler Sajad Ahmed Mir to transfer funds to Shafat Wani, who ultimately received about Rs 9 lakh to support terror activities.
Authorities describe The Resistance Front as a proxy for the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, created by Pakistan’s ISI to present attacks as locally driven. Indian security agencies are compiling a detailed dossier linking TRF to foreign funding, recruitment, and radicalization. Officials hope to use the findings to pressure Pakistan through the Financial Action Task Force, potentially pushing it back onto the agency’s Grey List. (Source: IANS)
