Key accused of Kandahar hijacking case Mehrajuddin Dand nabbed in Jammu

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir Police has arrested Mehrajuddin Dand, one of the key accused in the Kandahar hijacking case. Dand was on his way to his home, Sopore, after arriving in Jammu from Nepal, when he was intercepted by the police at Kishtwar, on Sunday. Police claim that his arrest may help investigators unravel the conspiracy that led to the hijacking of Indian Airlines aircraft, IC-814, on December 31, 1999.

Dand has been living in Nepal since 1995. Security agencies assert that he was one of the kingpins of the Kandahar hijacking. He is accused of extending logistical support to the hijackers, including fake travel papers. He is also believed to be the bridge between Pakistan's Inter-Service Intelligence, militants and underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. He was also involved in terror activities, including the 1996 Lajpat Nagar blasts.

According to a police officer, Dand's arrest followed an intelligence operation. He was befriended by an intelligence operative and invited for 'revival of militancy.' However, his family in Sopore claimed that he had arrived from Nepal for treatment of brain tumour. "He rang me up from Jammu, on September 7, saying that he would reach home by evening," his brother Abdul Rashid said. Dand hired a taxi from Jammu and took a detour to Kishtwar, where he was arrested.

Police said Dand was being interrogated by various intelligence agencies. CBI, which officially handles the investigations into the Kandahar hijack, is likely to join only later. Apart from the hijacking, security agencies are trying to find his involvement in other terrorist activities. Reports claim that he has handled different terror outfits based in Pakistan at different times.

Police believes Dand worked for Pakistani diplomat Arshad Cheema, who was posted in Kathmandu.