Hizbul ultra killed in Pulwama gunfight, search on for second

4 arrested with grenade, 2 IEDs defused

SRINAGAR: One Hizbul militant was killed in an ongoing encounter with security forces in Pulwama district on Monday, even as four people were arrested with a live grenade after one of them allegedly threatened youths filing applications for special police officers examination in Baramulla district.
In the third terror-related incident of the day, the security forces have recovered two IEDs from the restive south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
A militant was killed in an ongoing encounter with security forces at Drabgam area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, police officials informed.
The joint team of Army’s 44 RR, Special Operations Group (SOG) and 182 and 183 battalions of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) launched a cordon-and-search-operation after “specific inputs” about the presence of militants in the area.
“The encounter broke out after militants fired on the security forces,” an official spokesman said, adding that the fire was returned and in the ensuing encounter, one militant was killed.
“One militant was killed in retaliatory action by security forces. He has been identified as Irfan Ahmed Rather of Rajpora Litter,” police sources said.
He added that Rather became active in November 2017 and was a listed and wanted-categorised HM militant.
“Operations are on as it is suspected that more militants are present in the area,” he said.
Meanwhile, four people were arrested on Monday with a live grenade after one of them allegedly threatened youths filing applications for special police officers examination in Baramulla district.
“The man who threatened youths was held near the railway station in the north Kashmir district. On his disclosure, his three associates were also arrested,” he said.
Police said they recovered a live grenade from his possession and further investigation is on.
Meanwhile, the security forces foiled a major terror attack in south Kashmir on Monday when they successfully defused two Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in Anantnag.
“One of the IEDs was the ‘pressure cooker bomb’,” police sources informed.