Two militants involved in recent attack on CRPF killed in gunfight in Srinagar

Police said investigations into Tuesday’s attack on the CRPF personnel led them to the house where the LeT operatives were hiding, in Bishembernagar-Dalgate neighbourhood of Srinagar.

On Sunday morning, as a joint team of J&K Police and paramilitary forces cordoned off the area, they came under fire, leading to a gunfight.

“Two Pakistani terrorists have been killed in the gunfight,” Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said. “Both were involved in the recent attack (on CRPF personnel) in Maisuma”.

He identified the duo as Adil Bhai and Mubashir Bhai, both residents of Pakistan. He said Adil was a Lashkar commander for central Kashmir.

In the gunfight that lasted for several hours, two policemen and a CRPF personnel were also injured. They are reported to be stable.

On Tuesday, in a shoot-and-run case, two CRPF personnel were fired upon from point blank range, at Maisuma neighbourhood of Srinagar. While one died, the other was injured. The attackers escaped after the shootout.

“While analysing the CCTV footage, police zeroed in on a scooter used in the attack,” a police officer told The Indian Express. “The scooter was identified and two persons were picked up; they then led the police to the house where the attackers were hiding,” he said.

Police said they would act against the owner of the house where the duo were hiding. “His property will be seized for giving shelter to the terrorists,” IGP Kumar said.

With today’s incident, three Pakistani operatives have been killed in Srinagar in a month, signalling that they may have started to move towards the capital city, which they avoided in the past. On March 11, a Pakistani militant was killed in a brief shootout at Hazratbal in Srinagar.

Recently, the Kashmir valley has seen an increase in violence. While security personnel have intensified their operations, militants have launched a series of attacks on security forces and non-locals working in the area.