SSP Shopian ambushed, escapes unhurt

Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Mar 17: Militants today ambushed the Senior Superintendent of Police Shopian, Sriram Ambarkar, in South Kashmir in which he escaped unhurt while police arrested 5 persons in the killing of security guard at Charar-e-Sharief shrine.
The SSP Shopian had a narrow escape when militants ambushed him at Hajipora area in South Kashmir district of Shopian.
Sources said that the SSP was on his way to 34-RR headquarters at Bihibagh in Kulgam district to attend a function there. He was travelling in a bullet proof car and was accompanied by escort vehicles when they were fired at indiscriminately by militants.
Bullets hit the vehicle of the SSP but he and his escort personnel escaped unhurt.  His escort also fired at the militants but they fled taking the advantage of the topography.
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Soon after the attack, Army and Special Operations Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police cordoned off the area and launched searches to trace out the assailants in several neighbouring villages. However, militants had fled from the area.
Sources said that attack was carried out Lashkar-e-Toiba commander, Naved Jutt alias Abu Hanzulla and his two associates.
In the meantime, police arrested five persons in the killing of a cop who was guarding Charar-e-Sharief shrine.  It may be mentioned that a group of militants fired upon Kultar Singh of JKAP 13th Battalion who was guarding Charar-e-Sharief shrine wherein he was severely injured and later succumbed to his injuries and militants snatched his rifle and fled away from the spot.
Police said that during the investigation it was revealed that one Umar Farooq resident of Pulwama along with five other accomplices – Shahid Ahmad,  Shahid Khurshid, Imran and Feroz, all residents of Pulwama and Mudasir Ahmad Wani and Towheed Rather residents of Pampore -hatched a criminal conspiracy to snatch the weapon from police guard deployed  at Charar-e-Sharief shrine.
“To give effect to the conspiracy they had a recce of the area and the said sentry post at Charar-e-Sharief shrine earlier. Consequently they executed this act”, the spokesman said.
During investigation, Police has seized the vehicle in which they travelled to carry out the attack. “Investigation also revealed the clinching evidences against all the accused regarding their entering into conspiracy and commission of offence. All the accused persons other than Shahid Ahmad have been arrested in the case”, the spokesman added.
Police said the investigations revealed that Shahid Ahmad has joined the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and hunt has been launched to track him.
Police said that a case (FIR number 06/2018 under Sections 120-B, 302, 392 RPC, 7/27  of Arms Act, 16, 18, 20 Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act)has been registered in this regard in Police Station Chrar-e-Sharif.
And Police today recovered third dead body of a militant from Khonmoh area on the outskirts of  Srinagar city where encounter took place two days ago and two bodies of militants were recovered on March 15.
“The police started a sanitisation operation in which the area was to be cleared of any unexploded shells, mines after the encounter ended. In this process the teams of police and other security forces including the Bomb Disposal Squad were put for job. While concluding the search and sanitation of the operation site, police recovered body of the third militant”, police said.
The militant has been identified as Hamas of Pakistan. The two other killed militants were locals.

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