Manhunt underway in Poonch, probe points to armour-piercing bullets

While there was no official statement from the Army or the J&K Police, sources said the investigation so far points to the involvement of three-four “unidentified terrorists”, who are suspected to have used Chinese-made 7.62 mm steel core bullets.

Armour-piercing bullets with markings that read ‘71’, which are believed to have been produced in a Chinese factory, have been recovered by forensic science laboratory and bomb disposal teams that visited the spot on Friday morning, sources said.

According to sources, the trajectory of the bullets and the angles at which the Army vehicle was hit from all sides indicate that the attackers were possibly hiding on both sides of the road – in the densely forested area on one side, and in a gorge on the other side.

The Army vehicle was moving between Bhimber Gali and Poonch in Rajouri sector when it came under fire, around 3 pm on Thursday. The Udhampur-based Northern Command had said that the vehicle caught fire due to likely use of grenades.

According to military sources, the vehicle was part of a small convoy of two-three vehicles with minimal security. The dead have been identified as Havildar Mandeep Singh, Lance Naik Kulwant Singh, Sepoy Harkrishan Singh and Sepoy Sewak Singh from Punjab, and Lance Naik Debashish Baswal from Odisha.

J&K’s Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh and Additional Director General of Police, Jammu, Mukesh Singh, senior Army officers, and National Investigation Agency officials visited the site on Friday.

Sources said the search operation will continue for at least 72 hours, after which it could be extended based on intelligence inputs and the ground situation. The probability of contact is maximum in the first 24-36 hours, said sources. “After that, they usually hide their weapons and split up in attempts to make it difficult to trace them,” said a source.

The attack is suspected to have been orchestrated by the Jaish-e-Mohammad, said sources. The possible involvement of the same militants behind the attack in Dhangri village in which seven people were killed in January is also being probed.

While the area has traditionally been a major infiltration route from across the Line of Control (LoC), sources said there have been no reports of fresh infiltration in recent weeks. However, there have been ground intelligence inputs of two-three smaller groups operating in the area, and an increase in their activities.

According to sources, recent intelligence reports also suggest that groups of LeT operatives were planning to infiltrate in Krishna Ghati and Bhimber Gali areas.

A senior police officer who has served in the area said that infiltrators through Balakote sector have, in the past, taken the route through the Bhata Durian forests before finally entering the Kashmir Valley.

The area has dense forests that touch Dehra Ki Gali on the Mughal Road on one side and Surankote adjoining Poonch tehsil on the other. Measured aerially, the LoC in Balakote sector is hardly 3-4 km away, which makes it a preferred route for infiltrators who head straight through forests and nullahs to reach their destination, he said.

Sources said those who take this route do not stay in the Bhata Durian area for long, given the heavy Army presence in nearby areas. At most, they stick around for a day or two before moving to Behramgala village on the Mughal Road and then entering Shopian in Kashmir Valley.

Significantly, the Army troops and Jammu & Kashmir Police had launched a major search operation in the area in February this year after a motorist filed a report at Surankote police station that two suspicious looking armed men had boarded his car in Rajouri and got off in Bhata Durian area of Poonch district. After the searches yielded no results, the police had said the motorist was lying.

Thursday’s attack comes against the backdrop of discussions between the military leadership and the government on a proposal to withdraw RR troops from the Valley hinterland and let the CRPF fill in the gap.