In a major success, the Jammu and Kashmir police on Monday afternoon arrested the chief operational commander of the Hizbul Mujaheedin outfit in the Hazratbal locality of Srinagar.

Talking to media persons in Srinagar on Monday evening, the inspector general of police Kashmir zone, B.Srinivas said that Muzaffar Ahmad Dar alias Gaznavi alias Mohammad Ali,  was currently functioning as the chief operational commander of the HM outfit.

Srinivas also said that Dar, who joined militancy in 1990 was a Pakistani trained commander, and was closely associated with top terrorist commanders of the outfit.

"He was in constant touch with Syed Salah-ud-Din, the supreme commander of the outfit who is operating from Pakistan occupied Kashmir and other top commanders of HM," Srinivas added.

"Dar had masterminded several terrorist activities and was actively involved in financing the terrorist activities of the HM outfit," the inspector general of police said.

Srinivas said that Dar was involved in the blast at Narbal in July last year in which over a dozen army soldiers were killed.

The arrest of Dar, according to the IG, was a big blow to the Hizbul Mujaheedin outfit in Kashmir.