One more held as police probe Kashmiri ultras' Kerala links

Kochi, Oct 26 (UNI) Stepping up their investigation to unearth the Kerala links of Kashmiri militant groups, Kochi police today took into custody Harris, a former associate of Keralite youth Mohd Yasin, killed in an encounter with Kashmir Police earlier this month.

Harris, who runs a 'rent a car' service by the name of Prime Time Tours and Travels, was taken into custody for questioning after police raided his office near Vytilla here.

In another development, a special investigating team (SIT) team of Kerala Police reportedly held in Kannur district a man identified as Feroze, local television channels reported.

A native of Kochi, Feroze had allegedly been receiving phone calls from Kashmiri ultras, the reports said.

Earlier, the police had arrested in Kannur district Faizal and Abdul Jaleel, alleged to be the main ''recruiting agents'' for Kashmiri militant groups in Kerala.

According to police, Harris was a close associate of Mohd Yasin alias Varghese Joseph, 28, who was killed by the Kashmir Police in an encounter in Kupwara earlier this month.

Harris in fact had a role in the religious conversion of Varghese Joseph to Islam a few months ago, after which he was called Mohd Yasin. Varghese alias Yasin was a known goonda in Kochi and had been booked by the local police in a few cases.

Led by Kochi City Police Commissioner Manoj Abraham, police teams questioned nearly 20 people in the city for their links with Mohd.

Yasin.

Earlier today, police confirmed that four Keralite youths were among five militants killed by the Kashmir Police in an encounter on October seven, indicating the spreading roots of the terror network in Kerala.

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