a top operator of Lashkar-e-TaibaOmar Harris alias “Khargosh” (Rabbit), who has roots in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is now believed to be in Saudi Arabia after fleeing India using a fake passport, officials told PTI on Sunday. The document was issued under the name “Sajjad”, in which Harris described himself as a resident of Rajasthan. Officials said the investigation into the Lashkar-e-Taiba terror module is being led by Srinagar Police, which has shared details with central agencies, raising concerns over systemic lapses enabling such abuses.The case registered by Jammu and Kashmir Police earlier this month is likely to be handed over National Investigation Agency (NIA). Meanwhile, important details have already been shared with the state police forces to take prompt action and plug critical deficiencies, officials told PTI.Contrary to earlier reports linking Omar Harris to Karachi, investigators have now established that he hails from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.He reportedly joined Lashkar-e-Taiba to escape police action, before the terrorist organization pushed into Jammu and Kashmir in 2012, with several arson cases pending against him in Karachi.Harris earned the nickname “Rabbit” due to his ability to move quickly and avoid safety nets. According to investigators, after infiltrating the Kashmir Valley from the northern side, he stayed in Bandipora and Srinagar, and eventually married the daughter of a Lashkar-e-Taiba Over Ground Worker (OGW). The Nikah was conducted in Jaipur under his fake identity “Sajjad”.Officials said the marriage documents later became crucial in supporting his application for an Indian passport, a revelation that has raised serious questions about flaws in the verification systems. The revelation of the interstate module by the Srinagar Police has exposed systemic flaws, particularly how passports can be issued in Rajasthan despite established checks. Also read: Not card but code, identification is done through QR in terror affected PahalgamInvestigators believe Harris fled to Indonesia and later went to Saudi Arabia between 2024 and 2025 using another forged travel document. Efforts are now underway through diplomatic channels to secure his deportation.Fresh details emerged as Srinagar Police busted a “deep-rooted” inter-state LeT module with the arrest of five operatives, including Pakistani terrorist Abdullah alias Abu Huraira, who was on the run for 16 years and had established bases outside Jammu and Kashmir.The arrest of Abdullah along with another Pakistani national Usman alias Khubaib is a major breakthrough, coming six months after we dismantled a “white-collar” terror cell linked to Faridabad’s Al Falah University.During questioning, Abdullah revealed details of his and Harris’s activities across India, particularly in Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab. This included a Jaipur wedding, after which the bride’s father was detained for allegedly knowing about Harris’s real identity, officials said.The operation, launched on March 31 and closely monitored by DGP Nalin Prabhat, has also thrown light on LeT’s financing and financial networks. Investigators say the group relied heavily on forged identities and documents to build a multi-state network.Those arrested included three residents of Srinagar, Mohammad Naqeeb Bhat, Adil Rashid Bhat and Ghulam Mohammad Mir alias Mama, who were accused of providing shelter, food and logistics support. The network began to be exposed with the arrest of Naqeeb Bhat from Pandach area, where police recovered a pistol and incriminating material.During interrogation, Bhat admitted his links with Lashkar-e-Taiba, saying he purchased weapons from another associate, Adil Rashid of Zakura, and provided support to foreign terrorists. His revelations led the police to Mir and Rashid Bhat, both active operatives, and helped uncover several hideouts in the forested areas around Srinagar.Officials told both pakistani terrorist They are classified as ‘A+’ terrorists and had infiltrated into India about 16 years ago, and have been active in the Kashmir Valley over the years, “commanding” about 40 foreign terrorists, most of whom have been neutralized.The bust comes nearly six months after the “Al Falah module” was exposed in November 2025, when a Srinagar Police investigation revealed a network of radicalized professionals, many of whom were doctors.One of the accused, Omar-un Nabi of Al Falah University, was behind the blast in a car packed with explosives outside the Red Fort on November 10, killing more than a dozen people. Officials said he had previously made an unsuccessful attempt to join terrorist groups in 2016 and 2018.
