SRINAGAR: One among two terrorists involved in the murder of Rahul Bhat has been eliminated while two other terrorists involved in the killing of TV Artist Amreen Bhat have also been neutralised, Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Zone, Vijay Kumar said.
“Two militants were involved in Rahul Bhat’s murder – one killed, one remains & we’re after him. In Amreen Bhat’s murder case, 2 militants were identified & killed. In Vijay Kumar’s murder case, militants identified – they’ll soon be arrested/killed,” IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar said here.
Rahul, Amreen and Vijay, who hailed from Rajasthan and worked as a bank official in the valley, were shot dead by terrorists during the last one month in the Budgam and Kulgam districts of the Valley.
This is said after two terrorists – one Pakistani and one local resident – were gunned down by police and Army in the Natnusa Kandi area of the frontier district of Kupwara. The encounter took place last night in the Kandi forests.
“#Encounter has started at Chaktaras Kandi area of #Kupwara. Police and Army on job. Further details shall follow.@JmuKmrPolice,” Kashmir Zone Police said in a tweet last night.
“#KupwaraEncounterUpdate: Two #terrorists of proscribed #terror outfit LeT including one #Pakistani terrorist namely Tufail killed. Search still going on: IGP Kashmir@JmuKmrPolice,” Police said in another tweet on Tuesday morning.
Last night, a Pakistani militant from LeT was killed in Sopore in an encounter that broke out late on Monday night. The police said three other militants, including two foreigners and a local, slipped out of the cordon but the hunt for them is on.
The troops of the Army’s 22 RR, 9 para, CRPF and Special operation group of Jammu and Kashmir police cordoned off the area after they received information about the presence of militants.
An AK rifle and five magazines along with ammunition were recovered from him.
While security forces initiated operations that ended in the killing of militants, it is the recent spate of targeted killings that is posing a serious challenge to the security apparatus in Kashmir. Around 19 civilians including members of the minorities have been killed in such attacks.
So far, 28 foreign militants have been killed since January this year, police said.
Meanwhile, police on Monday night recovered three magnetic IEDs dropped by a Pakistani drone in the Kanachak area on the outskirts of Jammu city.
Significantly, sticky bombs have emerged as a new threat ahead of the 43-day long Amarnath yatra beginning June 30. The police have seized such explosive devices in the recent past as well.
ADGP Jammu Mukesh Singh said that BSF observed a drone activity in the Kanachak area at night and fired some shots toward the drone. Immediately a police party was deployed and they followed the anti-drone SOP in the general area.
At around 11 pm in the Dayaran area of Kanachak, the police observed the drone activity and fired at it again. The payload attached to the drone was brought down, but the drone could not be shot down.
The payload contained three magnetic IEDs packed inside a tiffin box with the timer set to different timings of 3 hours, 8 hours etc. The IED has been deactivated and diffused through a controlled explosion, he said.