Jailed LeT terrorist fatally shot after he snatches cop's rifle, fires on police team

SFs intensify ops to track down terrorists

Jammu: A jailed Pakistani Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist was fatally shot after he snatched the rifle of a policeman and fired at a police team that had taken him to a spot near the International Border for a weapons recovery operation, officials said.
Additional Director General of Police, Jammu zone, Mukesh Singh said a policeman was also injured in the incident and was hospitalised.
He identified the terrorist as Mohd Ali Hussain alias Qasim' alias Jehangir' who lodged at the KotBalwal Jail.
The officer said the terrorist's name surfaced during the investigation of an arms dropping case through drone from Pakistan on February 24 in Arnia sector.
"One accused of Jammu made revelations that the Pakistani prisoner has been instrumental in drone droppings and is the main operative of LeT and Al-Badr terror groups. He was brought before the Court on production from Jail and subsequently police remand was taken," the ADGP said.
He said during sustained questioning, the accused admitted his role in the Arnia weapon dropping case and also disclosed two locations where the arms and ammunition dropped by drone had been concealed.
"In order to recover the weapons, a police team along with a concerned magistrate went to the spot one after the other. Though no recovery was made at the first place, at the second place namely Toph village (near International Border) in Phallian Mandal area a packet of arms, ammunition and explosives was recovered," the ADGP said.
He said when the packet was being opened, the terrorist attacked one of the police officials and snatched his service rifle.
"He fired at the police party and tried to flee from the spot. In retaliation, the accused got injured and was shifted to GMC hospital Jammu along with the injured police official, he said, adding the terrorist later succumbed.
The ADGP said the dropped packet is being scrutinized with the help of Bomb disposal squad.
Meanwhile, Security forces and police have intensified operation to track down terrorists, who managed to escape from the cordon after a bried gunfire encounter in Rajouri district, sources said.
Security forces had on Sunday located a group of 2-3 terrorists in Sojan forest area of Samote in Rajouri and laid a seige to neutralise them, they said.
Terrorists fired on the security forces during cordon and search operation (CASO) but managed to escape using heavy rains and bad weather conditions as cover, they said.
Forces have now intensified the operation to track down the terrorists, who may be trying to find new targets in the area, they said.
Security forces and police have been put on high alert in view of movement of two suspected persons around Rajouri city, particularly around security forces area on Tuesday, they said.
Agencies also spotted two suspected persons, including one carrying a bag, in CCTV footage, they said.
On August 11, two terrorists had attacked an Army camp in Rajouri, killing four soldiers in a pre-dawn suicide strike that marked the return of fidayeen' to Jammu and Kashmir after more than three years.
Both the terrorists, believed to be from the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), were shot dead after an over four-hour gun battle.
On May 8, a terrorist was killed as the Army foiled an infiltration bid along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Laam area of Rajouri district. There were several blasts in Rajouri district in April and May.
Police had busted two modules of the LeT instrumental in carrying out terror acts and ferrying drone-dropped weapons from Pakistan to the Kashmir valley. They arrested five members of two terror modules.