Jammu and Kashmir villagers capture LeT militants armed with AK-47, hand them over to police

Residents in Jammu and Kashmir’s Tuksan village near Reasi apprehended two heavily armed Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants alive Sunday morning and handed them over to the police, according to officials.

The police identified the militants as Faizal Ahmed Dar, son of Bashir Ahmed Dar from Pulwama and Talib Hussain, son of Haider Shah from Rajouri. Two AK-47 rifles, seven grenades and a pistol were seized from them, said the police.

Hussain, a self-styled LeT commander, was on the run after his two associates, Mohammad Shabir and Mohammad Sadiq, both residents of Draaj village in Rajouri, were arrested last Tuesday, said the police.

Hussain was the mastermind behind all terror activities in the Rajouri-Poonch district for the past two-three years, the police said. He was heading a module responsible for several explosions in Rajouri’s Kotranka area, they said. The authorities had announced a suitable reward for anyone providing information leading to Hussain’s apprehension.

Director general of police (DGP) Dilbagh Singh announced a reward of Rs 2 lakh for the villagers for the capture of the militants.