Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR Dec 15: Militants today looted over Rs 9 lakh from Jammu and Kashmir Bank and Police said that Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants are behind the recent bank robberies in Kashmir.
Superintendent of Police, Pulwama, Rayees Bhat said that LeT is responsible for the recent bank robberies in Kashmir. He said that they have identified two foreigners and one local who are among the robbers.
Bhat said: “From the Ratnipora bank branch, Rs 9.84 lakh have been looted and out of which 16,000 is old currency while rest is new currency. We have taken CCTV footage from the bank and we have been able to atleast identify two of these dacoits.”
The SP said that in Budgam and Pulwama, same group was involved in robbery. “And in Budgam we have shown the photographs to the employees and two of the dacoits have been identified as Abu Ali and Abu Ismail, both foreign terrorists and one local militant Arif of Lelhar. Today when we spoke to the bank officials, same identification was established”, he said.
“Today we got the CCTV footage from the bank and it has been established that Lashkar-e-Toiba is behind the bank robberies. The militants involved in today’s robbery are Arif Dar of Lelhar and Abu Ali. They are wanted in the bank robbery and two others who were outside acted as scouts and were guarding their colleagues”.
The SP said that after recent bank robberies, police had taken certain measures which helped them. “After bank robbery at Arihal we had taken some security measures and we had given bank officials the list of banks which are sensitive and where response time is more for us. There are some branches which are nearer and near our establishments and there are banks which are in far flung areas. We had asked the officials of far flung areas when there are huge transactions they should cooperate with us”, he added.
Bhat said that police reached in no time but militants had managed to flee. “Today we had put some our men in civvies in the bank and some private persons as well. By this our response time was quick. We reached immediately and we thought two of them are still inside. We laid the cordon and searched the area but unfortunately they had left”, he said.
The SP said that stone pelting diverted the attention of police which gave militants enough time to flee. “Due to stone pelting our attention got diverted. Otherwise the leads we had got we could have chased them”, he said.
Last Thursday, gunmen targeted a branch of the J&K Bank at Arihal in the same district and looted Rs 13.38 lakh. This is the fourth bank robbery in the State since November 8.
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