Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Oct 16: Police today arrested an Over Ground Worker (OGW) of Hizbul Mujahideen from Pulwama town in South Kashmir after a shootout while two militants gave slip to the police as bid to snatch weapons was foiled.
SSP Pulwama, Tejinder Singh said that police arrested the OGW, Tariq Ahmad of village Drach in district Pulwama from Pulwama Bus Stand. The OGW was burka clad when he was arrested during a shootout.
The SSP said that police received specific information about the movement of militants in the Bus Stand and launched an operation in which the OGW was arrested while his accomplices fled by firing on police at crowded place in which two civilians were injured.
“At 12.30 p.m. we got information that there is suspicious movement of some burka clad people. An SOG party went there to check it and there was a vehicle in which a burka clad women was sitting. When police asked them to give their introduction, one burka clad didn’t speak and it was found that the person was a man in burka. When the person was asked to come down, our party was fired upon from two sides. Our boys took position on the ground and fire hit the Sumo in which the person was sitting. Two civilians were injured in the firing. The person in burka who was accompanying militants was also wounded and he was arrested and hospitalized”, Singh said.
“Police exercised restraint and did not retaliate as there were many people around”, the SSP said.
Singh said that militants had come to the town for weapon snatching which was foiled. “They had planned to snatch weapon in the town. They had weapons and a sharp edged weapon. They were looking for some target to snatch weapon”, he added.
The two injured civilians have been identified as Rehti Begum and Reyaz Ahmad Teli, both residents of Arihal Pulwama. They were immediately evacuated to nearby hospital for treatment of their bullet wounds.
The OGW was also hospitalized as he had received minor bullet wound. Police is also questioning him.
Security forces also launched an operation against the militants who had come to the town for weapon snatching.
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