‘Trying to help foreign terrorists active in district’
Electronic equipments, documents seized
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Aug 8: As part of clampdown on terror ecosystem, police today carried out raids in the houses of 11 terrorists operating from Pakistan and PoJK, in different areas of Doda district and examined mobile telephones and other electronic gadgets with the family members amid reports that they are trying to radicalize the youth to lure them into terrorism but haven’t succeeded.
Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp
Police after obtaining court orders has already attached properties of a number of terrorists who had exfiltrated to Pakistan and PoJK a long back and some of them are trying to fan terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir with the help of Pakistan army, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and terrorist commanders.
Click here to watch video
DIG Doda-Kishtwar-Ramban Range Sridhar Patil told the Excelsior that houses of 11 terrorists were searched during the day-long crackdown on the terrorists. The raids were conducted simultaneously by different teams of Doda police constituted for the purpose.
Police officials said the searches are aimed at intensifying the police crackdown on terrorism following activities in the district from across the border. The locations searched by police were spread in Bhaderwah, Gandoh, Thathri and Kastigarh areas of district Doda.
“All these terrorists from Doda operating from Pakistan and PoJK are helping the existing foreign terrorists active in the district in providing them logistics and other support through their contacts,’’ the officials said.
During the raids, mobile telephones and other electronic gadgets with their family members were examined. Their houses were also searched and some incriminating documents were seized.
“The terrorists from the district operating from Pakistan and PoJK have constantly been under radar of security agencies as there were reports that they were trying to radicalize the youth through different modes of communication and luring them into terrorism especially performing the task of Over Ground Workers (OGWs). The terror operatives are running short of the cadre,’’ the officials said.
There have been reports of presence of some foreign terrorists in the upper reaches of Kishtwar, Doda, Udhampur, Kathua, Rajouri and Poonch districts who keep on changing hideouts in the hills. Few days back, a top commander of the terrorists was killed in Basantgarh.
Multiple operations against the terrorists are going on at different places in these districts. Besides, police have also maintained pressure on Over Ground Workers who may have been assisting the terrorists in moving from one place to another in view of pressure maintained on them by security forces.
Sources said 39 terrorists from Doda and Kishtwar had exfiltrated to Pakistan and PoJK long back. While some of them have settled there, others have taken to terrorism and are engaged in assisting Pakistan army, ISI and terror commanders of different outfits. Few of them are also engaged in training the Pakistani terrorists.
These terrorists, as per the sources, are well versed with topography of Doda and Kishtwar districts besides surrounding areas. Besides they have been securing mobile telephone numbers of local youth from social media channels and are trying to contact them to take to terrorism.
However, the sources said, such attempts of the terrorists haven’t succeeded.
“To keep heat on terrorists operating from Pakistan and PoJK, police authorities after securing orders from the court, have attached properties of many of them. Properties of remaining terrorists will also be attached following due legal process,’’ they added.
