Srinagar, Apr 25: An overground worker of terrorists was killed and two police personnel injured during an encounter in the Bandipora district on Friday, while intense search and cordon operation continued for 4th day in Pahalgam and adjoining areas.
Security forces had launched a cordon and search operation in the Kulnar Bazipora area of Bandipora after receiving specific intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists. The operation turned into a gunfight when the hiding terrorists opened fire on the security personnel.
As the security forces approached the suspected spot, the hiding terrorists fired upon the forces, triggering off a gunfight during which one OWG was killed while the search for the other was in progress.
“So far one OGW was killed and his body has been retrieved from the encounter site. We have cordoned the area and all roads leading to the encounter site have been sealed. Firing is going on from both sides,” a police officer said.
The officer said that if the encounter is called off following darkness, all SOPs will be followed including the installation of more lights, multiple layer cordon, etc. More forces are being deployed to trace the trapped terrorist, he added.
Providing details, the police officer told Rising Kashmir that during the exchange of fire, an overground worker assisting the terrorists and two of our policemen were injured. The OGW later succumbed to his injuries. The operation is now in its final stage, and we are ensuring the area is thoroughly sanitized, he said.
Four days after the Pahalgam deadly terror attack, security forces on Friday intensified the search operation to track the holed-up terrorists in the upper reaches of forests. State of the art equipment has been deployed to trace the attackers, officials said.
A joint search operation to nab terrorists continued for the 4th in Pahalgam forests and security has been beefed up in the area.
“The entire forest belt is still under tight security cordon to track and neutralise the terrorists. The area is mountainous and the forest is dense, making the operation difficult and dangerous,” he said.
The police official said CASO was launched in adjacent villages of Pahalgam and intensified the searches in the area with the support of sniffer dogs and aerial surveillance to track down the terrorists.
“Security forces are checking vehicles and frisking people at different points in the district and police have registered FIR in this regard,” he said, adding that state of the art equipment including drones and high end cameras are placed for surveillance.
The official said although there is no contact so far now, area domination exercises are underway in the entire belt. Area is being closely monitored. The area is mountainous and the forest is dense, making the operation both difficult and dangerous,” he said.
In the wake of the Pahalgam attack, security arrangements have been further tightened across Srinagar and major tourist hubs like Gulmarg and Sonamarg. Frisking at checkpoints has been intensified, and additional forces have been deployed around hotels and public areas frequented by tourists.
Meanwhile, in another search operation, security forces launched an intense search operation in Kathua district after a local woman reported sighting four suspected terrorists believed to be involved in the attack. Acting on her tip-off, the police and Special Operations Group (SOG) initiated a door-to-door search in the area.
“We are taking the local input very seriously. Our teams are combing the area and verifying every possible lead,” a police officer involved in the operation stated. As of the time of reporting, no arrests had been made, and the search was still underway,” the police official said.
Another massive manhunt for three terrorists who recently escaped a security dragnet entered its second day on Friday. Multi-layered search operations have been launched across forested areas in Udhampur district, where the terrorists are believed to be hiding, as well as in Kishtwar, Kathua, Rajouri, and Poonch districts.
“The joint search operation by the Army, police, and CRPF is ongoing in the Dudu-Basantgarh region. Aerial surveillance using helicopters and drones has also been deployed to support ground forces,” he said.
Search operations are also ongoing in the Chatroo area of Kishtwar, the Triyath region of Rajouri district, Lakhanpur in Kathua, and Lasana in Poonch, as security forces continue their widespread crackdown on militant movements in the region.
