Srinagar: Security forces on Friday shot dead a foreign terrorist of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) in an encounter in Shopian district, and separately arrested four “terrorist associates” from different areas in south Kashmir, police said.
A police spokesman a joint cordon and search operation was launched together with Army’s 34 RR on specific information generated by police regarding the presence of terrorist in the Kapren area of Shopian.
“To avoid any civilian casualty or injury, the joint team of forces evacuated teachers and students from a nearby madrassa to safer places,” he said.
The spokesman said, “as the search party approached towards the suspected spot, the hiding terrorist fired indiscriminately which was retaliated effectively leading to an encounter.” He said forces personnel from CRPF 178Bn also joined the operation later on.
“In the ensuing encounter, one foreign terrorist, identified as Kamran Bhai @Hanees, linked with proscribed terror outfit JeM was killed and his body was retrieved from the site of encounter,” he said.
According to police records, the killed terrorist was categorised ultra and involved in several terror cases, including attacks on police and civilians.
“It is pertinent to mention here that the killed terrorist was active in Kulgam-Shopian area and was trying to revive the terror folds of JeM terror outfit by recruiting & motivating the gullible youth to join terror folds, besides planning to execute terror attacks,” the police spokesman said.
Incriminating materials, arms and ammunition including one AK-74 rifle, and four magazines were recovered from the site of the encounter. All the recovered materials have been taken into case records for further investigation, the spokesman said.
Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Kashmir, Vijay Kumar congratulated the joint team of police and security forces for conducting the successful operation without any collateral damage.
He termed the operation a “big success as a possible threat of fidayeen and other terrorist attacks were thwarted by his elimination.”
A case under relevant sections of law has been registered and further investigation is in progress.
People are requested to cooperate till the area at the encounter site is completely sanitized and cleared of all the explosive materials, if any, a police spokesman said.
Separately, the police spokesman said that police and security forces arrested four “terrorist associates linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT” and recovered explosive and incriminating materials from their possession.
The arrested person were identified as Karamat-ul-lah Reshi, son of Mehraj-ud-din Reshi, and Suhail Bashir Ganai, son of Bashir Ah Ganai, both residents of Chewa Uller Tral; Adil Ghani Lone, son of Abdul Ghani Lone, resident of Karamulla Tral, and Irshad Ahmed Kumar, son of Manzoor Ahmed Kumar of Tral Payeen. Incriminating materials including explosive substances were recovered from their possession, police said.
“During preliminary investigation, it was revealed that the arrested terrorist associates were in touch with LeT terrorist commander alias Babar alias Samama, resident of PoK, and were in a bid to hatch conspiracy to plant IED in Tral area with the intend to cause damage to police and security forces,” a police spokesman said in a statement
He said the “arrested terrorist associates were also involved in the transportation of arms and ammunition and other logistic support to the active terrorists of LeT.”
A case (FIR no.164/2022) under relevant sections of law has been registered in Police Station Tral and further investigation started, police said.
