Rajouri: In the ongoing encounter at Bhata Dhurian Nar forest area of Mendhar sub division in Poonch, a Pakistani militant, who was on 10-day police remand, was killed while three security personnel received injuries in exchange of gunfire on Sunday.
The militant, who was killed in this firing, was identified as Zia Mustafa, a resident of Rawlakote. He was arrested in 2003.
The three security personnel, who sustained injuries in the firing, included two police personnel and one army man.
The official sources told Greater Kashmir that soon after an encounter broke out in Nar Khas forest area of Bhata Dhurian village on October 14, in which four army personnel were killed, a case in FIR 107/2021 under relevant sections of law was registered at Gursai police station of Mendhar sub division in Poonch district.
This case was registered under Sections 302, 307, 120-B IPC and 7/25/26 of Indian Arms Act.
They disclosed that during investigation of this case related to movement and presence of militants in the area, some vital leads were gathered by the investigation agencies and intelligence network on the basis of which several persons were detained.
They said during investigation, the investigative agencies developed a suspicion that the militant group, present in the area, was contacting on a mobile number which could have been linked to a militant namely Zia Mustafa, who was imprisoned in high security Kot Bhalwal jail.
They said that in order to unearth any such direct contact or link between militant group and jailed militant Zia Mustafa, the investigation agencies followed the legal process and got a 10-day remand of jailed militant, who was shifted to Mendhar on Saturday.
“The jailed militant was put to questioning in Mendhar and some vital clues were gathered,”the official sources said.
They informed that on Sunday morning, a team of army and police took the jailed militant to Nar Khas forests in Bhata Dhurian village where an encounter had been going on for the past 11 days.
“He was taken to the forest in order to identify the location where militants could be hiding,” the official sources said.
“As soon as the militant was being taken towards forest, the police and army team was fired upon in which two police personnel and one army man suffered injuries while militant Zia Mustafa also got injured. But he could not be rescued from the spot due to the heavy volume of firing,” the official sources said.
They added, the injured personnel were evacuated from the spot and taken to nearby army medical center where they were under treatment and were out of danger.
Injured police personnel included Dalip Kumar and Shafiq Ahmed.Later, during searches, the militant was found lying dead in the forests and his body was retrieved, these sources said.
A senior police officer on the condition of anonymity said that the jailed militant was killed after a team which was taking him towards forests came under fire from woods in which three security force personnel and jailed militant sustained injuries and militant later died.