Srinagar: A Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist “wanted for his complicity in the Gagangir (Ganderbal) attack” that left seven civilians including a doctor dead on October 3, was killed in an encounter with security forces in Dachigam (Harwan area) of Srinagar, police said on Tuesday.
Acting on specific intelligence inputs, security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation near a fish farm in Dachigam late on Monday night, the officials said.
The search operation turned into a gunfight after terrorists fired at a search party of the security forces who retaliated. However, later security forces opted to wait until the morning to avoid any escape by the holed-up terrorists.
The situation escalated into a gunfight early on Tuesday when the terrorists opened fire on the search party, prompting a retaliatory response from the security forces. In the ensuing exchange, a terrorist identified as Junaid Ramzan Bhat, son of Mohammad Ramzan Bhat of Koimoh Kulgam in south Kashmir, was killed, the officials said.
Bhat, a category “A” terrorist of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, was wanted for his alleged involvement in the October 20 attack near a tunnel construction site in the Gagangir area of Ganderbal in which a local doctor and six non-local labourers were killed, they added.
“OP Dachigam: In the ongoing operation, one terrorist is killed and has been identified as Junaid Ahmed Bhat (LeT, Category A). The said terrorist was involved in civilian killing at Gagangir, Ganderbal, and several other terror attacks,” the Kashmir Zone Police said in a post on X.
Security forces are conducting further searches in the upper reaches of Dachigam to locate any additional terrorists who may have been with Bhat.
Dachigam National Park, located on the outskirts of Srinagar, spans approximately 141 square kilometers and is situated in the Zabarwan Range of the western Himalayas.
This area has historically served as a route for infiltrating terrorists moving from north to south Kashmir. (With additional inputs from PTI)
Body of VDG with bullet wound found in Udhampur
The body of a village defence guard with a bullet wound was found in Udhampur district a day after he went missing, police said on Tuesday.
His rifle was recovered from the spot, they said.
“The body of a VDG member, Ashok Kumar, with a bullet injury was found in the upper reaches of Chapper. However, it remains unclear whether he shot himself or was shot by someone else,” a senior police officer said.
After receiving information about the body, a police team was rushed to the spot. The body was shifted to a hospital for post-mortem. Kumar’s rifle was found at the spot, the officer said.
The post-mortem report revealed that he was shot in the abdomen and the bullet was fired from his rifle, the officer added.
A case has been registered in the matter, police said.
Two women OGWs detained under PSA in Udhampur
Police on Tuesday detained two women suspected to be “terror associates” under the Public Safety Act (PSA) in Udhampur district.
The overground workers (OGWs) have been identified as Maryama Begum from Loudhara village and Arshad Begum from Rai Chak, both in the Basantgarh area, officials said.
“They were detained after it was assessed that they posed a significant threat to the safety and security of the region,” a police spokesperson said.
“These terror associates were found to be involved in providing logistical support to terrorist groups and working as guides and facilitators for terrorist organisations,” he said.
Their continuous actions posed a serious risk to public safety and tranquility, he said.
To prevent further criminal activities detrimental to the security of the region, both individuals were ordered to be detained under the PSA, he stated.
Police and security forces have launched a massive crackdown against the terror ecosystem and networks operating in various districts of the Jammu region over the past fortnight.
Police conducted raids and searches at 73 locations across districts in the Jammu region, targeting terrorist networks linked to banned outfits like Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Several terror suspects and OGWs were arrested, and weapons, cash, electronic devices and documents were seized during the operation.(PTI)
