Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Friday said two Pakistan militants, who were involved in the shooting of a Kashmiri Pandit at Chadoora Budgam, were killed in a gunbattle at Bandipora.
Police said the two had recently infiltrated from the neighbouring country and killed in an anti-militancy operation at Brar Aragam area of Bandipora. They said the duo were members of Lashkar-e-Toiba and had escaped from a recent operation at Salender forest area of Bandipora.
A police spokesman said they were tracking local LeT militant Lateef Rather alias Osama, who was involved in violent incidents in Srinagar and Budgam since the past two months.
He said a week ago, the movement of Lateef was confirmed in Salindar area of Bandipora, where he had gone to receive a fresh infiltrated group of LeT.
“The presence/ movement of these terrorists was zeroed in and shared with the Bandipora police and accordingly, an operation was launched on May 11, resulting in elimination of a local terrorist identified as Gulzar Ahmed Ganaie of Baramulla. The other two terrorists managed to escape from the encounter site,” he added.
“However, a Police team kept following the footprints of the said escaped terrorists, whose presence was confirmed technically in Chadoora area of Budgam, where the terror incident took place yesterday. Their footprints were again confirmed in Brar, Aragam area of Bandipora today.
“Accordingly, the information was shared with Bandipora police and operation was launched by them along with 13 RR, resulting in elimination of two foreign terrorists of LeT outfit,” he said.
The spokesman identified the slain persons as Faisal alias Sikander and Ukasha, both residents of Pakistan.
Police said the hunt for Lateef Rather was on.
Inspector General of Police Kashmir Vijay Kumar said the two had recently escaped during an encounter and their presence was “technically confirmed yesterday at terror incident site at Chadoora.”
“Their presence at terror incident site at Chadoora confirmed their involvement in killing of Rahul Bhat,” the IGP said, adding that hunt for Lateef was vigorously on.
