‘Group was involved in the killing of Police Head Constable’

Baramulla: Police Saturday claimed that group of 7 militants who had been killed in Dardpora forest in Lolab Valley have been identified with the help of people and they are all the residents of Pakistan.

Deputy Inspector General of Police North Kashmir Range, J.P.Singh told CNS that they talked to a number of people of frontier district Kupwara who verified that these militants were present in the area from past six months. “People told us that they had seen this group of militants roaming in the area a number of times. We showed them the photographs of these slain militants and they confirmed to us the slain people were not locals but foreign militants,” Singh said.

Earlier talking to reporters, DIG North Kashmir said this Lashkar Toiba group was involved in the killing of one of our Head constable Sanaullah. “Initial investigation has revealed that Head Constable Sanaullah whose headless body was found near Warnoo Handwara was the handiwork of this group of militants,” he said adding that all these slain militants have been identified with the help of the local people. DIG North Kashmir said that on February 24, a fierce gun battle took place between a group of heavily  armed militants and Army and SOG Kupwara in the Dardpora forest of Lalpora, Lolab. He said that 7 militants were eliminated and operation continued till February 25. “Besides huge cache of arms and ammunition and quantities of war like stores, matrix sheet, eatables, two mobile phones were also recovered from the site of the encounter,” he said.

“The investigation of the case was carried out on scientific and technical methods. The scientific and technical investigation along with the account of eyewitnesses who were victims of the atrocities carried out by these militants during past five to six months revealed that this group was operating in the area of Hardoona forests of Vilgam Handwara and Lolab Dardpora forests for quite some time,” Singh said adding that the scientific investigation also revealed that the same group was responsible for the murder of one Head Constable of Jammu and Kashmir Police namely, Sanaullah who was killed by slitting his throat in the forests of Hardoona Vilgam Handwara.

Deputy Inspector General North Kashmir said that dead bodies and photographs of killed militants were shown to the people of the area where these militants were active and they confirmed that these slain militants were of foreign origin and belonged to Lashkar Toiba and were in this area for a quite some time.

“On the basis of evidences collected, the militants have been identified as Sufian, Rehman, Kashif, Qari, Dawood, Arqam all residents of Pakistan, however, one killed militant is yet to be identified,” he said.

He said that all these militants were categorized and listed militants. “The unidentified militant is also of foreign origin and had been seen with the same group,” Singh told CNS.

He said that during the post mortem, procedure of comprehensive investigation was followed. “Photography was conducted, DNA samples were collected and dead bodies were handed over to the local Auqaf Committee for burial. The Auqaf Committee conducted the burial only after proper verification and ascertaining that none of them was a local,” DIG said. (CNS)