Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 6: Army and police today launched a massive search operation at Pangai, Upper Pangai and Chamred under the jurisdiction of Thanna Mandi police station in Rajouri district and surrounded three militants, whose movement at Pangai was observed this morning.
Meanwhile, police and Army also continued searches at Dhanaka, Bhawani and Lamberhi areas of Nowshera tehsil after reports by the people that they had seen movement of the militants. At Bhawani, one of the civilians told the cops that one of the militants took away their utensil of vegetables.
Official sources said Army and police launched a massive search operation at Pangai in Thanna Mandi area this morning after developing a specific input about movement of three militants in the area. The searches have been extended to Upper Pangai and Chamred areas of Upper Shahdara Sharief in Thanna Mandi area as all available inputs pointed out movement of the militants.
“The militants have been surrounded. Search operations, which were intensified this afternoon, were going on even in the night despite hostile weather conditions to ensure that the militants didn’t managed to break the cordon’’, sources said.
However, they admitted that a direct contact hasn’t been established with the militants till late tonight but confirmed presence of three militants.
It was after a long time that the militants have been spotted in upper reaches of Thanna Mandi. Presence of the militants has been reduced to quite an extent in the border district of Rajouri.
Meanwhile, Army and police continued searches at village Dhanaka, Bhawani and Lamberhi in Nowshera tehsil of Rajouri district following reports given by people that they had spotted movement of the militants.
Searches had started on Tuesday after school students at Government Middle School, Dhanaka claimed to have seen the militants. As the school was located very close to the Line of Control (LoC), the security forces and police didn’t take any chance and carried out massive searches, which were still on.
The militants, however, remained untraced.
Sources said the people of village Bhawani and Lamberhi have also informed police and security forces about movement of the militants. One of the civilians at village Bhawani told police that a militant even took away their utensil full of vegetable.
“We are out. Army is out. The searches at all three villages were on. The searches have been suspended for the night and would resume again tomorrow morning. The inputs by the people were not being taken lightly’’, police said, adding the villagers have been assured fool-proof protection.
Police parties in all areas along the LoC have been alerted. The villagers have also been asked to inform police or security agencies if they observed movement of the militants, they said.
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