J&K: 8 Ultras Arrested In Joint Operation

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Police on Friday claimed that eight “terror associates” were arrested jointly by it and the Army’s 16 SIKHLI after bursting two “terror modules” in the Uri area close to the Line of Control (LoC) in Baramulla district.

While addressing a hurriedly called press conference, SSP Baramulla Amod Nagpure said that during a patrolling and area domination exercise in Urdi’s Churunda area a joint team of the police and 16 SIKHLI noticed one person roaming in a suspicious way. “On seeing the uniformed personnel, he tried to flee but was apprehended tactfully and two grenades were recovered from his possession, and he was taken into custody immediately,” the officer said.

The man was later identified as Showkat Ali Awan, a resident of Churunda, and, during further questioning, he revealed the names of his accomplices Ahmad Din and Mohammad Sadeeq Khatana who too were detained for questioning, the SSP said. He added that upon their disclosures two hand-grenades, one Chinese pistol with a magazine and four live rounds were recovered from their possession.

The officer said that during the naka checking in Uri’s Powarian Thaial area, one Maruti Swift bearing number CHOID-9588 was signalled to stop for routine checking. “However, the driver and other four persons on board insisted on the naka party allowing them to proceed further as they had to relocate to the hospital for a certain medical emergency upon which the naka party felt suspicious about them. It immediately started searching the vehicle and found four hand grenades, two pistols with as many magazines and 10 live rounds and a cash of ₹ 50,000 in it. All the five persons including the driver were taken into custody immediately.”

Identifying them as Akhter Bhat, Mohammad Aslam Khatana, Muneer Ahmad, Mudasir Yousuf Gokno and Bilal Ahmad Dar, the SSP accused them of being involved in cross border smuggling of arms and ammunition “at the behest of Pakistan based terror handlers and its further distribution to Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists for carrying out terror activities."  All the eight persons have been booked under various provisions of the Indian Arms Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

Meanwhile the police said that the corpse of a second militant, who was injured in the August 5 encounter in Gundha Khwas area of frontier Rajouri district has been found in a village in the neighbouring Reasi district.

The police said that two Pakistani militants were trapped at Gundha Khwas during a cordon-and-search-operation on August 5 and that in the subsequent gunfight one of them was killed and the other fled after being severely injured. “On Friday morning, joint teams of the forces including J&K police, the Army and CAPF recovered the body of the terrorist from a gorge where he fell while trying to escape,” a police spokesman said.

Separately, the Army on Friday said that it has found a huge cache of arms and ammunition in an area of the Machhal sector of the LoC. "Joint Operation launched by #IndianArmy, @BSF_Kashmir and @JmuKmrPolice in #Machhal Sector #Kupwara from 15-18 Aug 23 based on Intelligence inputs by various agencies of likely presence of a cache of war-like stores," the Army tweeted. The recoveries include five AK series rifles, 7 pistols, 4 hand grenades and other “incriminating materials.”