LeT, Hizbul men behind bank loots: J&K Police

A senior police officer on Monday said that terrorists of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen were involved in the recent bank robberies in Kashmir.

“Investigation revealed that the terrorists of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen were involved in the recent cases of bank robberies in south Kashmir,” Kashmir Inspector General of Police S J M Gilla told reporters here.

Four incidents of bank looting took place in Kashmir in the first four days of May and cash worth lakhs was taken away. Fearing more robberies, the Jammu and Kashmir Bank on Saturday decided to stop cash transactions in 40 of its branches in Shopian and Pulwama districts of south Kashmir.

According to the officer, 95 local youth have joined militancy in the past one year. “There are around 200 terrorists hiding in the Kashmir Valley at present and 110 of them are locals. Nearly 95 of them joined the militant ranks in the past one year,” he said.

Responding to questions about students pelting stones at the security forces, Gilla said, “Some students were instigated by outside elements to pelt stones by giving them money. I appeal to the parents of students to counsel them.”

He promised action “as per law” on the police crackdown on the Degree College Pulwama on April 15, which triggered widespread protests by students across the Valley.

The Kashmir IGP also said after the one-month period is over, the ban on social media will be reviewed. 

“The impact of the ban (on social media) will be assessed at the end of the one-month period,” he said.

To avoid the misuse of social media to stoke passions, the state government had on April 26 ordered the suspension of 22 sites, including Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp, in the violence-hit Valley.