Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 25: Troops of Rashtriya Rifles today captured two Kashmiri youth, who had reached Poonch via Mughal Road and were trying to cross over to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) from the Line of Control (LoC) through forward village of Gountrian in Poonch sector late last night.
The apprehensions of Intelligence agencies on use of Mughal Road by the militants have come true as both the boys have disclosed that they had traveled on this road from Shopian to reach Poonch for crossing over to PoK for arms training.
The Kashmiri youth taken into custody by the Army from the LoC and handed over to Poonch police for questioning have been identified as Gulzar Ahmad Mir son of Ghulam Nabi Mir and Hillal Ahmad Raina son of Ghulam Qadir Raina, both residents of Buzgoonil Nag, Chatra in Badgam district.
They were aged between 19 and 22, official sources said.
They added that an alert team of 39 Rashtriya Rifles, which was part of Romeo Force under 6 Sector, intercepted the youths close to the LoC at 11 pm last night and challenged them to surrender. The youths surrendered and were taken into custody.
Troops subjected them to surrender during which revealed their identity and motive to cross over to PoK for arms training. Later, the troops handed over the boys to police for sustained questioning.
Sources said a handler, who was one of the agent working for militant organisations, had shifted the youth from Budgam to Shopian and then to Poonch via Mughal Road for crossing over to PoK. The youths were being quizzed to ascertain identity of the militants, who had deputed them to LoC from Kashmir for crossing over to PoK for arms training and the persons, if any, who had to help them in Poonch.
Sources added that the youth had traveled in a TATA Sumo from Shopian to Poonch via Mughal Road. Before Reaching Poonch, they visited Sain Mira Ziarat at Shahpur and also took rest at Pritam Park in Poonch town.
Last night, they reached Gountrian and were trying to cross over to PoK when the Army nabbed them.
Sources believed that a local contact of the militants might have helped the fresh recruit to reach LoC.
Police was questioning the youth at Poonch police station to extract more clues from them especially identity of the militant in Kashmir, who had recruited them into militancy and plotted their exfiltration to PoK for arms training.
Worthwhile to mention here that the militants were running short of cadre across the State. There had been reports that the militants were desperate to recruit local youth into the militancy.
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