Two militants, three OGWs arrested: J&K police

The police categorise “anybody who supports the militants” as an OGW, an Over Ground Worker

Two militants and three Over Ground Workers (OGWs) affiliated with Al-Badr militant outfit were arrested by security forces in Handwara area of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Monday.

Police said Mohammad Yaseen Rather, Showkat Ahmad Ganie and Ghulam Nabi Rather, all residents of village Kachloo Qaziabad in Handwara, were arrested by a joint team of the Army and the police. “The trio was held on a specific information when they were on a motorcycle at a naka near Kachloo crossing on Baramulla-Handwara highway,” Superintendent of Police (SP) Handwara, Sandeep Gupta told reporters.

They tried to escape from the spot, but were apprehended by the search party, he said. Upon checking, arms, ammunition and a letter pad of Al-Badr outfit were recovered.

Gupta said on their disclosure, two Al-Badr militants identified as Saleem Yousuf and Iqhlaq Ahmad Sheikh, both residents of Watergam, were held by the police and 21 Rashtriya Rifles during a Cordon-And-Search-Operation (CASO) in the forest area of Baderkali.

“The duo had recently joined the militant ranks and were operating in the Handwara area,” the SP said while terming the arrests a “big achievement because they were planning to attack security forces, sarpanchs and panchs.”

The police categorise “anybody who supports the militants” as an OGW. A person providing a safe house, passage, information or acting as a messenger for suspected militants automatically comes under the radar of the police as an OGW.