The Lover Boy of Bahawalpur: How the Pulwama Case was Cracked is a non-fiction book written by Rahul Pandita and published in 2021.[1] The book tells the story of a team of National Investigation Agency (NIA) sleuths cracking the 2019 Pulwama attack case.[2] The "lover boy" referred to in the title is Mohammad Umar Farooq (son of Ibrahim Athar, one of the five terrorists who had hijacked the Indian Airlines Flight IC 814 in December 1999), nephew of Jaish founder Masood Azhar and a key accused in the case.[3][4] He was killed during an encounter a month after Pulwama attack.[5] Rakesh Balwal, the Jammu and Kashmir head of the NIA was tasked with the 2019 Pulwama attack case probe at that time.[6]
 First edition | |
| Author | Rahul Pandita |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Juggernaut Books |
Publication date | 23 June 2021 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 212 |
| ISBN | 978-9391165109 |
Background
editNIA managed to connect the dots at the time of the abrogation of Article 370 when a mobile phone full of lustful messages was recovered after an encounter that killed Umar Farooq.
Key people involved
edit- Mohammad Umar Farooq alias Idrees Bhai, nephew of Jaish founder Masood Azhar
- Adil Ahmad Dar, suicide bomber of 2019 Pulwama attack
- Sameer Ahmed Dar aka Hanjila Jihadi (cousin of Adil Ahmad Dar)
- Mohammad Ismail Alvi alias Saifullah/ Adnan / Lamboo
- Ashiq Ahmed Nengroo
- Ammar Alvi, Umar Farooq's uncle
- Noor Mohammed Tantray alias Noor Trali
- Insha Jan
Reception
editThe Wire journalist Karan Thapar wrote of the book, "Pandita has an incredible story to tell which some may find hard to believe. Others may be sceptical [...] But there will also be many who will accept Pandita’s detailed story."[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Vij, RK (2021-07-18). "How 'The Lover Boy of Bahawalpur' reopens the Pulwama case". The Indian Express. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
- ^ Bhardwaj, Ananya (1 July 2021). "Drones threat flagged for long but govt slept over it, journalist-author Rahul Pandita claims". ThePrint. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
- ^ Bhardwaj, Ananya (2020-08-25). "Afghanistan training, help from 12 Kashmiris, RDX from Pakistan — how Pulwama was 'planned'". ThePrint. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
- ^ Philip, Snehesh Alex (2021-07-31). "JeM terrorist and Pulwama attack conspirator killed in encounter in J&K". ThePrint. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
- ^ Sandhu, Kamaljit Kaur (26 August 2021). "NIA traces Pulwama mastermind Jaish commander Umar Farooq's al-Qaeda link". India Today. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
- ^ Raaj, Neelam (20 June 2021). "3 things nailed Pulwama mastermind: Adidas jacket, Kashmiri lover, and a damaged mobile". The Times of India. Retrieved 2021-08-17.
- ^ "Watch | The 'Incredible Strokes of Luck' Behind How Pulwama Terrorists Were Identified". The Wire. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-17.