Two Slain Militants Were Involved in Murder Of BJP Leader, His Two Kin
Srinagar: Two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants were killed on Sunday in an encounter with the security forces in Bandipora district, police said.
Police had received information about the presence of militants in Watrina village of north Kashmir’s Bandipora on Saturday evening, a spokesperson said.
Following this, a cordon and search operation was launched in the area by the police, the 14 Rashtriya Rifles, and the Central Reserve Police Force, he said, adding, “Contact with the hiding terrorists was established on Sunday morning.”
The holed-up militants were given multiple opportunities to surrender to which they did not pay any heed and fired indiscriminately at the joint search party. The security forces retaliated leading to the encounter, the police spokesperson said.
He said the two militants, identified as Azad Ahmad Shah and Abid Rashid Dar alias Haqani, were killed in the exchange of fire and their bodies retrieved. Arms and ammunition, including two AK-47 rifles and a pistol, and incriminating materials have been seized from the encounter site, he said.
The two slain militants were affiliated with the LeT. Dar was a Pakistan-trained militant who had crossed over the Wagah Border in April 2018 and had infiltrated back in 2019, the police spokesperson said.
‘Police records show that both the terrorists were involved in planning and executing terror attacks on security establishments and killing civilians. Dar was instrumental in recruiting gullible youth in north Kashmir into LeT,” he added.
According to the spokesperson, both of them, along with foreign militants Usman and Sajad, were involved in the killing of BJP district president Waseem Bari, his brother and father in July last year.
Usman and Sajad were killed in an encounter at Kreeri in August last year.
“Therefore, all the four terrorists involved in the… killing of the BJP leader and his family have been eliminated,” the spokesperson said.
Inspector-General of Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar appreciated the police and security forces for conducting a successful operation without any collateral damage.
TRF Militant Held In Jammu, Attack Foiled
Meanwhile the Jammu and Kashmir Police on Sunday arrested a militant affiliated with The Resistance Front (TRF) near the Jammu Railway station, foiling a plan by the ultras to carry out an attack in the city.
Sheikh Sunain Yousuf alias Raja alias Sultan , a resident of Gadapora village of south Kashmir’s Shopian, was arrested and a pistol and seven rounds were recovered from him.
A hunt has been launched to nab two of his associates who provided support to him for reconnaissance, a police spokesman said.
On the basis of credible inputs about the movement of Kashmir-based militants to Jammu for a specific task to create “terror” in the area, he said Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Special Operations Group (SOG) Jammu laid ambushes at different locations in Jammu city.
During checking near railway station Jammu, a two-wheeler driver dropped a pillion rider about 50-60 metres behind the check point and sped away, the spokesman said.
He said the suspected person, carrying a bag, started moving fast towards a nearby bylane but was chased by police and overpowered at some distance.
The search of the suspect led to the recovery of a pistol loaded with seven cartridges, the spokesman said, adding he was put under sustained questioning on the spot by officials of SOG Jammu which revealed that he is an active militant of TRF and had come to Jammu for a specific task.
However, he said the task was not yet conveyed to him by his handlers.
He had come to Jammu on directions of handler Ahmed Khalid alias Hamza alias Haqparast , a Pakistan-controlled Kashmir (PcK) based active handler of the TRF outfit, the spokesman said.
He said the militant was also in touch with valley-based handlers through telegram and signal apps.
The questioning of the arrested militant is going on. A hunt has been launched to nab two of his associates who provided support to him for reconnaissance, the spokesman said, adding more arrests and recoveries are expected at his disclosure.
A case under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Arms Act was registered in Bahu Fort police station and further investigation is on, the spokesman said.
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