Srinagar June 29: Inspector General of Police Kashmir, Vijay Kumar on Tuesday said that the two LeT militants killed in the gunfight in Maloora area on Srinagar outskirts were planning “two big attacks” on the Baramulla-Srinagar highway section.
The gunfight erupted Monday afternoon shortly after police said it arrested a top LeT commander, Nadeem Abrar, a resident of Narbal area in central Kashmir’s Budgam district after intercepting him near Parimpora crossing in a car.
After intermittent exchange of fire yesterday in which three CRPF personnel were injured, police said this morning that Abrar was killed in the gunfight along with his associate, Muslim, also a LeT militant from Pakistan.
Addressing a presser in Srinagar after the gunfight, IGP Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said that after arresting Abrar yesterday along with a pistol and a grenade, he was booked under section 27 of the Indian Evidence Act and taken to Police Station for a joint interrogation by Police, Army and CRPF.
During interrogation, Abrar made a disclosure about more weapons in a house in Maloora, the IGP Kashmir said, adding Abrar did not reveal to the security forces that his associate, Muslim was also hiding in the house.
“In the ensuing encounter, both were killed, ” the IGP said.
He said that two more AK 47 rifles were recovered from the encounter site besides the pistol and grenade seized from Abrar’s possession yesterday.
The IGP said the duo had traveled to Srinagar from north Kashmir on Monday morning and “were planning two big attacks at two places”.
Kumar further said that Abrar and Muslim were part of a module — that included Khurshid, a militant killed in another encounter in Sopore – responsible for carrying out two separate attacks on security forces in Parimpora and Khushipora in which three CRPF and two army men were killed respectively.
“From Khurshid’s possession, we recovered a weapon snatched from one of the CRPF men, ” IGP Kashmir said.
He termed the killing of Abrar and Muslim a “big success” saying the two “wanted to target the Narbal-Hyderpora axis very often, attack security forces and snatch weapons”.