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Suspected operative of a Jammu and Kashmir-based terrorist outfit, Javed Munshi who was arrested from West Bengal five days back, has now been found to have links with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). 

According to sources from the Intelligence Bureau (IB), Munshi had met Talha Saeed, son of the 2008 Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed, during a visit to the banned organisation’s headquarters in Muridke, Pakistan.

Talha Saeed, who is in his late 40s, serves as the second-in-command of LeT, overseeing its operational activities.

In 2022, the Union government designated Talha as a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), stating, “The central government believes that Talha Saeed is involved in terrorism, and he should be notified as a terrorist under the said act.”

Munshi was apprehended in a pre-dawn operation at his brother-in-law’s house in Canning, located in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.

An Intelligence Bureau officer said, “At the time of his arrest, we knew he was an operative of Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen, which aims to merge Jammu and Kashmir with Pakistan and promote pan-Islamist ideas. However, during interrogation, his close ties with the LeT have emerged.”

The officer revealed that the 58-year-old suspect visited Muridke—a city in Pakistan’s Sheikhupura district, also renowned for its high-quality rice—on three occasions after 1990.

“We learned that Munshi met Talha Saeed during one of these visits. His presence in Bengal and potential motives are under investigation, but his role as an operative in LeT’s sleeper cell in India is a significant revelation,” the officer said.

Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen, according to the IB, shares close ties with the LeT.

“Talha oversees the LeT’s operational activities, leading us to suspect that Munshi’s visit to Bengal may have been aimed at arranging or supplying arms and ammunition for the outfit’s sleeper cells in India,” another IB officer remarked.

Investigators are also exploring whether Munshi intended to travel to Pakistan via Bangladesh.

The traditional routes in Jammu and Kashmir used by terrorists have become inaccessible due to heavy snowfall, adding to the complexities of the case.