Pulwama attack accused dies after suffering cardiac arrest at GMC Jammu: officials - Greater Kashmir

Srinagar, Sep 24: Bilal Ahmed Kuchay, son of Gh Nabi Kuchay of Hajbal Kakapora died of cardiac arrest at GMC Jammu last night, official sources said Tuesday. Kuchay was accused of being a part of ‘Pulwama attack’ in which at least 40 CRPF personnel were killed in 2019.

“One of accused in Lethpora attack dies in Jammu hospital due to heart attack. Bilal Ahmed Kuchay, son of Gh Nabi Kuchay and resident of Hajibal Kakapora, passed away from a cardiac arrest last night at GMC Jammu,” official sources said.

They said Kuchay had been transferred from District Jail Kishtwar to GMC Jammu where he was receiving treatment since September 17, 2024.

He had been in Kishtwar jail since July 5, 2020, they said.

Kuchey and 18 other accused in the case were chargesheeted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on August 25, 2020. He was among the seven accused arrested in the case.

He and the other accused Shakir Bashir, Insha Jan and Peer Tariq Ahmad Shah had provided logistics and harboured the JeM terrorists in their homes.

The charge sheet was filed under various sections of the Ranbir Penal Code, Arms Act, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Foreigners Act and the J&K Public Property (Prevention of Damages) Act.

While six terrorists, including three Pakistanis, involved in the terror attack were killed in separate encounters, six more, including JeM founder Masood Azhar are still at large.

According to the NIA, the Pulwama attack was the result of a well-planned criminal conspiracy hatched by the Pakistan-based leadership of the terrorist organisation.

JeM leaders have been sending their cadres to the camps of Al-Qaeda-Taliban-JeM and Haqqani-JeM in Afghanistan to be trained in explosives and other terror tactics, the NIA said. (With PTI inputs)