Police unearth terror module in J&K

The Jammu & Kashmir Police have arrested two Lashkar-e-Toiba militants and an overground worker (OGW) of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen who were allegedly involved in the killing of policemen, bank robbery and attack on a minister's cavalcade last month.

“On October 14, two terrorists, with the intention to snatch weapons from a protected person’s personal security guards, fired a few rounds at Kund in Qazigund area. But after locals raised hue and cry, they fled the spot," IGP (Kashmir) Muneer Khan told a press conference here on Monday.

He said a joint team of the police, the Army and the Central Reserve Police Force then established a checkpoint in south Kashmir's Kulgam district and caught the militants.

“They were identified as Khursheed Ahmad Dar and Haziq Rather. One pistol, some ammunition and a live grenade were recovered from their possession. They belong to LeT. One of them was involved in a recent bank robbery in south Kashmir. We identified him from the CCTV footage,” the IGP said.

He said another militant was involved in lobbing a grenade last month on PWD Minister Naeem Akhtar’s cavalcade. “All these militants have been arrested during live action in south Kashmir,” Khan said.

The IGP said OGW Rameez Yatoo helped in the attack on a police vehicle in Damhal-Hanjipora area of Kulgam last weekend. A policeman was killed and two others were injured in the attack.

Khan, along with Army and CRPF, appealed to the militants to surrender.

"The offer of surrender to local militants still holds good. Local militants are our own youth. They should lay down their arms and we will provide all support in rehabilitating them," he said.

On rising braid-chopping incidents in the Valley, the Kashmir police chief said a scientific examination of the victims would be conducted.

“We will collect samples to know what type of sprays have been used on the victims,” Khan said.
Earlier, reports had suggested that the police were planning to conduct polygraph tests on the victims.

Hair of over 100 women and young girls has been mysteriously chopped off across the Valley during the past month.