Srinagar: Stating that two terrorists were killed and two were arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), J&K Police on Sunday said that they were committed to completely resolve the Dhangri terror attack.
“Two terrorists killed so far. Two arrested by NIA. We are committed to completely resolving this terror attack,” Police Media Centre, Jammu, wrote on X.
In the terror attack in Dhangri village, seven civilians were killed over two days. Four civilians were killed after terrorists opened fire at three houses separated by a distance of 50 metres from each other on January 1 this year.
The next day, two children aged 4 and 16 died in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast at the house where the firing had taken place. One victim succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMC&H), Jammu, on January 5, taking the toll to seven.
Fourteen villagers were injured in the twin attacks.
On Saturday, the NIA said that they arrested two Poonch residents in connection with the January killings of seven civilians at Dhangri village of Rajouri.
According to the NIA, Nissar Ahmad and Mushtaq Hussain of Gursai, Poonch harboured terrorists involved in the Dhangri killings. The NIA formally arrested them on Thursday, the agency said in a statement, adding that they were on Friday produced before the NIA Special Court in Jammu, which sent them to 12 days in the agency’s custody.
According to the NIA, the accused were already lodged at Central Jail at Kot Bhalwal in Jammu in connection with another case. In the first week of August, a terrorist was killed in an encounter with security forces in Rajouri district.
Based on intelligence inputs, a joint operation by the Army's Rashtriya Rifles and J&K Police was launched on August 5.
The encounter broke out in Gundha-Khawas village in Budhal area of the district.
Later, a foreign terrorist, who Police had said was injured in an encounter with security forces in Rajouri district, was found dead in Reasi district.
While a terrorist was killed, another was injured in the gunfight in Khawas area of adjoining Rajouri district on August 5.
“The body of the second terrorist injured in the encounter has been found by the Special Operations Group at Dhakikot in Reasi district,” Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Jammu, Mukesh Singh had said.
“The two terrorists seem to be Pakistanis and were suspected to be involved in terror cases in the Rajouri-Poonch region, including the recent attack on security forces at Kesari Hill and the Dhangri attack,” the Police had said in a statement.
The twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch had witnessed three major terror attacks on January 1 at Dhangri, April 20 at Tota Gali in Poonch, and May 5 in the Kandi forests of Rajouri.
In the three attacks, the terrorists killed 10 soldiers and seven members of the Hindu community.
