Two Hizbul militants escape from police custody

Two Hizbul Mujahideen militants, under arrest for allegedly making an assassination bid on Congress MP Lal Singh in 2004, have escaped from police custody, officials said.

Police said the Dullah Gujjar, commander of a Hizbul Mujahadeen outfit, and his associate Sher Khan escaped near Patnitop on the Jammu-Sinagar highway, about 100 km from here, Wednesday night. They were being brought from Kishtwar to Udhampur after appearing at the local court there, a police official said.

They fled away apparently after stopping for tea at a shop near Patnitop, added the official.

The militants were caught in a foiled attempt to assassinate Congress MP Lal Singh in 2004 in Kishtwar district.