New Delhi, January 30: The probe into Pulwama terror attack, left stranded due to the killing of alleged key conspirators, has gained fresh impetus with the arrest of a tip Hizbul Mujahideen commander along with Jammu & Kashmir cop Davinder Singh earlier this month. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has begun interrogating Naveed Babu, the Hizbul man held with Davinder. Hizbul Mujahideen Terrorist Arrested With Davinder Singh Planned Terror Attacks in Kashmir Ahead of Republic Day 2020: Report.

Babu was among the topmost district commanders of the Hizbul Mujahideen in South Kashmir. He was arrested on January 11, along with J&K Police DSP Davinder Singh  and overground militant worker Irfan, at the Jammu-Srinagar national highway. A week later, Babu's brother Irfan Shah was also arrested and handed over to the NIA.

Officials privy to the matter told HT that the NIA wants to know if Babu is aware of the militants who aided the Jaish-e-Mohammed operatives to carry out the fidayeen attack on CRPF troopers on February 14, 2019. The strike claimed the lives of 43 Indian security personnel.

The suicide attack was carried out by Adil Ahmed Dar, a local militant affiliated to the Pakistan-based JeM. He rammed a truck full of explosives into the CRPF convoy. The mastermind behind the militant strike is reported to be Mudassir Khan -- who was killed in an encounter last year.

"We will question Naveed Babu about the others involved in the Pulwama attack. Being a senior commander in the region, we believe he knows most of the operatives of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), JeM and other outfits," an official was quoted as saying.

Babu has been accused of recruiting scores of militants in South Kashmir region since 2017. Based on his activities over the last three years, the investigators are hopeful that he may end up revealing the crucial "missing links" in the Pulwama terror attack.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 30, 2020 10:26 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).