Srinagar: Police on Thursday claimed to have killed three local Al-Badr militants, while another laid down arms before the state forces during a pre-dawn encounter in Shopian district of south Kashmir.
In the wee hours Thursday, Special Operations Group (SOG) of police, army’s 44 RR and the personnel of CRPF 178 battalion laid a siege around Kanigam in Shopian on the basis of a specific input regarding presence of militants in the area, a police spokesperson said.
He said the joint team gave a surrender offer to the militants when their presence got ascertained shortly after the search operation was launched in the area.
“Family members of the trapped militants were also called to the encounter site to motivate and persuade them to surrender,” he said, adding “Due to the efforts of security forces and repeated appeals, one of the trapped militant Tausif Ahmad ultimately laid down his arms before the joint forces,”
Ahmad, as per the police spokesperson also appealed to his trapped companions to surrender, however, they turned down the surrender offer and fired indiscriminately on the joint search party which was retaliated leading to an encounter.
The police spokesperson said that in the ensuing encounter, all the three holed-up militants were killed and their bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter.
He identified the trio as Danish Mir, Mohammad Umer Bhat, both residents of Khajapora and Zaid Bashir Reshi of Reban associated with Al-Badr.
“Incriminating materials including arms & ammunition have been recovered from the site of encounter. All the recovered materials have been taken into case records for further investigation and to probe their complicity in other crimes,” the police spokesperson said.
He further said that the last rites of the killed militants shall be performed after conducting medico-legal formalities and their nearest family members shall be allowed to participate in the last rites.
“In this connection police have registered a case under relevant sections of law and investigation has been initiated. People are requested to cooperate with police till the area is completely sanitized and cleared off of all the explosive materials, if any,” he added.
Meanwhile, IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar has complimented police and central forces for showing utmost patience and exhibiting professionalism, which resulted in saving the life of a “misguided youth”.
“IGP Kashmir once again makes a fervent appeal to all misguided youth who have joined militant ranks to shun the path of violence and return to mainstream as the society needs them and most importantly their parents. We will welcome and accept them with open arms,” the police spokesperson said.
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