December 5, 2001	Wednesday	Ramazan 19, 1422

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)

SRINAGAR, Dec 4: Indian guards arrested a woman guerilla “commander” in occupied Kashmir on Monday, a senior official said.

The woman, identified as Mughli Begum, alias Saddam, was arrested by India’s paramilitary Border Security Force (BSF) from Reyar village, Budgam district.

“Mughli is involved in militant activities and is the district commander of Dukhtaran-i-Milat,” said Rajinder Singh Bhullar, deputy inspector general here of the BSF.

When brought before journalists, Mughli, a mother of four, denied she was a member of the Dukhtaran group.

BSF deputy inspector general Bhullar later said Mughli used to harbour and guide cadres of outfits such as the Hizbul Mujahideen.

The BSF official charged Mughli with “arranging” the murder of two people, including a policeman working with a special police unit.

Mughli admitted to arranging a meeting between the Mujahideen and the policeman but said she was being falsely implicated in the incident.

“The militants had promised me that he would be released after questioning,” she said. “But instead they shot him dead.”

She was later handed over to the local police.

Last week Indian forces arrested nine girls in Bandipora township, sparking noisy protests against the administration.

Seven of the girls were released, while two others were handed over to police after two radio sets and two grenades were found in their possession. —AFP