In a coordinated effort, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Jammu and Kashmir Police, and the State Investigation Agency (SIA) are probing the recent attack on an Army convoy in Badnota, Billawar, Kathua, which occurred on July 8.
The primary suspect behind the ambush is Sajid Jutt, also known as Habibullah Malik, a notorious terrorist based in Pakistan.
Jutt, affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba and born in 1982 in Kasur, Pakistan, is alleged to have masterminded this and several other attacks on Army vehicles in the Poonch district over the past year.
Intelligence officials have noted a striking similarity in the patterns of these attacks, leading them to believe Jutt's involvement. "He coordinated these attacks while sitting in Pakistan," sources revealed.
Designated as a terrorist by the Union Home Ministry in 2022, Sajid Jutt's modus operandi has been consistent in using similar ammunition and tactics. NIA agents, who visited the attack site on Tuesday, collected bullet casings and grenade splinters. The casings from M4 carbines and AK-47s with steel coatings, along with Chinese-origin grenade splinters, matched those found in previous ambushes in the Jammu division.
The investigation agencies highlighted that steel bullets, capable of piercing Army vehicles, were used in three similar ambushes in Poonch. It is believed that M4 carbines, which fell into terrorist hands after NATO forces left Afghanistan in 2021, were used in the Billawar attack.
During the ambush, the terrorists attempted to snatch weapons from the soldiers. However, the injured soldiers' retaliation forced the attackers to retreat into the forest before reinforcements arrived.
