Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 22: In a major success, Ramban police last night arrested two militants within 30 hours of terror attack at SSB camp at Thathar Banihal, from Ashar forests and recovered the two snatched weapons. Police was hunting the third militant, who managed to escape from the forests during police raid.
A SSB jawan was martyred and another injured in the terror attack, executed by three fresh recruits in the militancy, at Thathar, Banihal on Wednesday evening.
IGP Jammu Zone Dr SD Singh Jamwal announced arrests of the two militants and recovery of weapons from them at a press conference addressed by him here along with DIG Doda-Ramban range Basant Rath and SSP Ramban Mohan Lal.
Arrested militants have been identified as Gazanfar Iqbal Khan son of Mohammad Yaqoob Khan R/o Kaskoot and Mohammad Arif son of Ghulam Hassan Wani R/o Ashar. Their third associate Aqib Wahid son of Abdul Hamid Najar R/o Kaskoot was absconding.
SSP Ramban Mohan Lal told the Excelsior that police conducted raids at Ashar forests of Banihal after getting tip off about presence of three militants there after executing the terror attack.
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“During police raid, all three militants started running in three different directions. We chased and overpowered two of them while third one (Aqib Wahid) managed to escape,” Mohan Lal said, adding that a hunt was on to nab the absconder and hopefully he would be captured soon.
The SSP Ramban, who supervised the entire operation, said two weapons snatched from the SSB jawans including an Insas rifle and an AK-41 rifle were recovered from the two arrested militants. However, a pistol, which the militants had used to target the SSB jawans from close range, couldn’t be recovered as it was lying with the absconding militant.
Police admitted that parents of the militants were involved in making the arrests.
“The parents of local militants were very helpful,” they said.
Lauding timely action by Ramban police, the IGP Jammu said it was a well executed operation by police, which worked out terror attack on the SSB camp within 30 hours by arresting both the accused and recovering snatched weapons from them. He added that hunt was on to nab the third militant.
Police said Gazanfar Iqbal Khan and Aqib Wahid were BSc third year students of Degree College, Anantnag while Mohammad Arif was working as helper with Navyugha Company, which was constructing the tunnel at Banihal on new Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. The SSB personnel had been deployed for security and protection of the construction company.
Sources said since Arif was working as helper in the construction company, he had access to all their activities including deployment of the SSB personnel and their movement etc, which made it easy for the militants to target two SSB jawans from point blank range, killing a Head Constable and injuring an ASI.
Gazanfar’s father Mohammad Yaqoob Khan, presently a Forest Guard, had been a surrendered militant while Aqib’s father Abdul Wahid Najar is a Government teacher. Aqib’s uncle Mohammad Hussain Najar was a divisional commander of Hizbul Mujahideen outfit in 1989.
Replying to a question at the press conference, IGP Jammu Dr SD Singh Jamwal said the youths had been radicalized into militancy in South Kashmir.
He didn’t agree with a questioner that local training to the militants was a “dangerous trend” saying police was capable of tackling any situation.
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