Contrary to earlier reports stating that Harris hailed from Karachi, it has emerged that he is from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. He joined the LeT to evade police prosecution as he had several arson cases pending against him in Karachi. He was later pushed by the terror group into Jammu and Kashmir in 2012.
Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist Umer Harris, alias ‘Khargosh’ (rabbit), is believed to be in Saudi Arabia after managing to escape the country using a forged passport issued in the name of Sajjad, claiming to be a resident of Rajasthan, officials said on Sunday.
The Srinagar Police, which is spearheading the investigation into the interstate LeT terror module, has shared details with central intelligence agencies, raising concerns about systemic loopholes that allow such abuse, they said.
While the case, registered by the Jammu and Kashmir Police earlier this month, is likely to be taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), details have been shared with the state police forces concerned to facilitate urgent action and plug the gaps, they said.
Contrary to earlier reports stating that Harris hailed from Karachi, it has emerged that he is from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. He joined the LeT to evade police prosecution as he had several arson cases pending against him in Karachi. He was later pushed by the terror group into Jammu and Kashmir in 2012.
Harris earned the alias ‘Khargosh’ as he could hop from place to place in no time, evading the security dragnet.
According to investigations and interrogations of the arrested accused, Harris, after infiltrating the Kashmir Valley from the northern side, stayed at various locations in Bandipora and Srinagar and married the daughter of an LeT Over Ground Worker (OGW). The Nikah ceremony was held in Jaipur under his assumed name, Sajjad.
Officials stated that the marriage documents were also used to support his application for an Indian passport.
The unravelling of this interstate terror module by the Srinagar Police has exposed several loopholes. Questions are being raised about how a passport was issued by authorities in Rajasthan despite the police verification system in place.
The LeT terrorist managed to flee to Indonesia, from where he is believed to have used another forged travel document to station himself somewhere in Saudi Arabia in 2024–25, the officials said.
They said efforts are being made through diplomatic channels to bring him back to India and seek his deportation from the Gulf country.
These details emerged after the Srinagar Police busted a “deep-rooted” inter-state LeT module and arrested five people, including a Pakistani terrorist, Abdullah alias Abu Hureira, who had been on the run for 16 years and had successfully established bases outside the Union Territory.
The arrest of Abdullah, along with another Pakistani national, Usman alias Khubaib, was another major success for the Srinagar Police, coming six months after the dismantling of a “white-collar” terror cell centred at Faridabad’s Al Falah University.
During interrogation, Abdullah informed his captors about his and Harris’ movements across India, particularly in Rajasthan, Haryana, and Punjab.
This included the marriage ceremony, following which the bride’s father was detained as he was well aware of the Pakistani terrorist’s true identity, the officials said.
The operation in Srinagar, which began on March 31 and was monitored by Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat who camped in the city during that period, has unveiled the funding and financial pattern of the LeT, they said.
The terrorists used forged documents and identities to create a network not just in Jammu and Kashmir, but in several other states, they added.
Three Srinagar residents, identified as Mohammad Naqeeb Bhat, Adil Rashid Bha, and Ghulam Mohammad Mir alias Mama, were among the five arrested. They are accused of providing shelter, food and logistical support to the terrorists.
The elaborate network began to unravel on March 31 when the first of the three Srinagar residents, Naqeeb Bhat, was arrested from Pandach area along with a pistol and other incriminating material.
During his questioning, Bhat told police that he was a part of the LeT and procured the arms and ammunition from another associate, Adil Rashid of Zakoora, and also provided support to foreign terrorists, the officials said.
From Bhat, police were led to Mir and Rashid Bhat, both active associates of LeT in Srinagar and during the investigation, following disclosures from those arrested, various hideouts were also busted in forested areas in and around Srinagar.
The two Pakistani terrorists are categorised as ‘A+’ grade militants and the officials said they infiltrated India approximately 16 years ago and remained active across various districts of the Kashmir Valley, “commanding” around 40 foreign terrorists over the years, most of whom have since been neutralised, the officials said.
