Jammu and Kashmir Police on Wednesday released pictures of seven Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) “wanted” militants of Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir. The police have also announced a cash reward and a job for anyone providing information leading to their arrest or killing.
The hilly district of Kishtwar was declared militants-freeover a decade ago. However, the district saw the killing of a senior BJP leaderand his brother in November last year and gun-snatching incident from apoliceman recently.
“For any information leading to get hold live or dead – cashreward in lakhs & job,” reads the poster, which was put up by police inKishtwar at various places.
The poster carries pictures of the “wanted militants”Mohammad Amin alias Jahangir; Riaz Ahmed alias Hazari; Mudassir Hussain; JamalDin alias Abu Bakar; Talib Hussain; Junaid Akram and Usama Bin Javed aliasOsama.
The poster ends with a message that the identity of theinformant would be kept secret.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Kishtwar, Shakti Pathaksaid the militants are active in the region and six of them belonged to theHizbul Mujahideen (HM) and one to the Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT).
“People should be aware of such militants who are wanted.Those who wish to inform us about them can contact us. Informant’s identitywill be kept secret,” he said.
Police sources said Jehangir and Hazari, affiliated with theHizbul Mujahideen, are the longest surviving militants in the state.
They have never been caught since the inception of themilitancy in the state in early 1990’s, they added.
Five others, including, LeT militant Osama have joinedmilitant ranks last year, the sources said, adding they included two studentswho were pursuing studies in the Kashmir Valley.
They said Jehangir and Hazari are active in Dachin andMarwah areas and have managed to evade arrest as they are locals and fully knowthe topography of the region, mostly moving in upper reaches away from humanhabitations.
The counter-insurgency operation came under a review in thedistrict following the killing of BJP state secretary Anil Parihar and hisbrother Ajeet Parihar on November 1 last year.
The Parihar brothers were returning home after closing theirstationery shop in Kishtwar town when gunmen fired at them in the Tappal Galiarea, a case which was taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA)after initial investigation by local police.
Early this month, unidentified gunmen snatched the servicerifle of the personal security officer (PSO) of district developmentcommissioner, Kishtwar, from his rented accommodation in the town.
Though police conducted a massive search for two days, noone has been arrested in connection with the rifle snatching incident so far,the officials said.
The PSO, Daleep Kumar, claimed that some masked gunmenintruded into his residence on the night of March 8 and decamped with his AK-47rifle and three loaded magazines besides mobile phone after threatening him andhis family.
The mobile phone of the policeman was later recovered froman isolated place near the house during the search operation but there is stillno trace of the rifle and the culprits, the officials said.