How a plot unravelled due to posters

It started, on October 18, in the Kashmir Valley, with posters of proscribed terror group, Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM).

- HT Correspondent

It ended, on November 10, with a blast near Delhi's Red Fort that killed at least 10 people. And as investigations moved from the Valley to Srinagar and Kulgam (also in Kashmir), and then to Faridabad, they unveiled a network of highly-qualified and highly-radicalised terrorists, likely getting their instructions from across the border, and affiliated with terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad.

On the night of October 18, Jammu & Kashmir police learnt of posters pasted on the walls of houses in Nowgam, a middle class neighbourhood on the periphery of Srinagar. Written in Urdu, the posters warned of imminent “spectacular attacks” on security forces and outsiders (nonnatives) in Kashmir.

On October 19, the police lodged an FIR under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and began investigations. Police scoured CCTV footage and picked up three young men, who confessed to having put up the posters at the behest of Moulvi Irfan, an Imam (cleric) at a mosque in Srinagar’s Chanpora.