Pakistani terrorist paused attack plans for hair transplant in Kashmir, NIA says
Srinagar-A Pakistani operative linked to the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba told investigators he temporarily halted militant activities in Jammu and Kashmir to undergo a hair transplant procedure in Srinagar, according to officials cited by India’s Press Trust of India on Sunday.
The operative, identified as Mohammed Usman Jatt, also known as “Chinese,” was arrested last month alongside alleged Lashkar militant Abdullah by Srinagar police before the case was transferred to the National Investigation Agency due to what authorities described as its national and international dimensions.
Investigators said Jatt, a resident of Lahore trained by Lashkar-e-Taiba, had infiltrated into Indian territory with instructions to execute attacks and help establish sleeper cells outside Jammu and Kashmir.
During questioning, however, he allegedly said conditions in Kashmir differed significantly from narratives presented during militant training in Pakistan.
According to officials, Jatt said he had struggled with severe hair loss for years, affecting his confidence, and believed advanced hair restoration procedures were available only in Western countries until he learned about such treatment in Srinagar.
Investigators said Jatt was introduced to local contacts, including militants identified as Zargam and Abdullah, while staying in upper areas of Srinagar. Police said information obtained during interrogation helped uncover an alleged network of overground workers operating in Srinagar and northern Kashmir in support of Lashkar activities.
Officials said Jatt told interrogators he met a Srinagar shop owner who had undergone a hair transplant procedure and later persuaded him to arrange similar treatment. He allegedly underwent the procedure at a clinic within the city and occasionally stayed there overnight during recovery.
After the operation, investigators said Jatt traveled with Abdullah by passenger transport to Jammu before boarding a sleeper bus to Punjab en route to Malerkotla, where he reportedly spent time watching Turkish television programs and attempting to learn English.
According to officials, Jatt told interrogators he intended to secure genuine Indian identity documents, including an Aadhaar card, PAN card and eventually a passport, with the aim of leaving India using forged or fraudulently obtained documentation.
Investigators linked his account to another alleged Lashkar operative, Umar, nicknamed “Khargosh,” who authorities say infiltrated India after 2012 and later fled abroad in 2024 using forged travel documents allegedly obtained in Jaipur before eventually reaching a Gulf country through Indonesia.
The case emerged months after Srinagar police dismantled what authorities described as the “Al Falah module” in November 2025, an alleged militant network involving educated professionals accused of supporting extremist activities.
Police alleged one accused in that case, Umer-un Nabi of Al Falah University, drove an explosives-laden vehicle that detonated outside the Red Fort on Nov. 10, killing more than a dozen people, according to investigators.
