50 detained in Reasi for questioning
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 13: Police and Army have intensified operations which entered second day today in Kota Top area of Gandoh in Doda district in search of terrorists who escaped after initial contact in which a police constable was injured even as police have detained 50 suspects in Reasi in connection with attack on the bus carrying Shiv Khori pilgrims in which nine persons were killed and 43 others were injured on Sunday.
Army, police and paramilitary forces resumed search operations in the morning in Kota Top in Gandoh, Chattargalla and adjoining areas in Doda district where seven security personnel, including two policemen, were injured in separate gunfights with terrorists on Tuesday and Wednesday.
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There has been no fresh contact with the fleeing terrorists so far, they said.
DIG Doda-Kishtwar-Ramban Range Shridhar Patil who has been leading the search operations told the reporters that police will neutralize the group of terrorists soon.
“Search operations are on at different places and we will get the terrorists soon,” Patil said.
Police had on Wednesday released sketches of four terrorists involved in two attacks in the district and announced a reward of Rs 20 lakh for information leading to their arrest.
Searches are underway in Reasi as well as adjoining Rajouri district. A person who resembled the terrorist’s sketch was detained from a bus in Reasi in the afternoon and whisked away for questioning, the officials said.
Searches are also being conducted in Nowshera in Rajouri and adjoining Poonch. Security forces in Kathua, Samba and Jammu districts have also been put on alert in view of intelligence inputs about a possible terror threat, they said.
Two terrorists were gunned down by the security forces in a fierce gunfight in Kathua that began on Tuesday night and lasted more than 15 hours. A CRPF jawan was also martyred in the operation while a civilian was injured.
Police had on Wednesday issued an advisory, urging residents of the Jammu region to stay vigilant regarding the movement of suspicious individuals and objects.
The advisory was issued following intelligence inputs suggesting the possibility of a terror threat in parts of Rajouri and Jammu districts.
Meanwhile, 50 people have been detained in connection with the investigation into the recent terror attack on a bus carrying pilgrims in Reasi district.
To ensure a comprehensive probe, the search operation to track down the terrorists, has been expanded to cover Reasi district’s far-flung Arnas and Mahore areas which were terrorist hotbeds between 1995 and 2005.
Confirming the detention of 50 suspects in connection with the attack, a police spokesperson said it followed an intensive investigation.
“Significant leads have been uncovered, aiding in the identification and capture of those who may be potentially involved in orchestrating the attack. To ensure a comprehensive probe, search operations have been expanded to cover the far-flung areas of Arnas and Mahore,” the spokesperson said.
He said these operations aim to uncover further evidence and apprehend terrorists who may be hiding in these remote regions.
“The law enforcement agencies are committed to bringing the perpetrators to justice and ensuring the safety and security of all residents and visitors in the area,” the spokesperson said.
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