STATE TIMES NEWS

Jammu: As many as 67 suspected people were detained for questioning in connection with the killing of a civilian by two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists in a village in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Wednesday.
During investigations, credible evidence was obtained and the police identified one of the two terrorists involved in committing this act as a “foreign terrorist” with code name Abu Hamza, the officials said.
Police further released the pictures of Hamza and announced a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh on him, they said.
“A case under relevant sections of law has been registered in Police Station Thanamandi. Till now, 67 suspected persons have been detained for questioning post this incident,” police said in a statement.
Mohammad Razaq (40) was killed on Monday in the Kunda Top village of the Thanamandi area. Razaq worked in the government’s Social Welfare department while his brother Mohammad Tahir Choudhary is a soldier in the Territorial Army, who escaped unhurt.
Police along with security forces deployed in the twin districts of Rajouri-Poonch range are working in close synergy to neutralise this group and dismantle their support ecosystem, they said.
Additional Director General of Police, Jammu zone, Anand Jain, on Tuesday, visited Rajouri to oversee and reinforce security measures in the border district.

Encounter underway in Bandipora, helicopters deployed

Srinagar: Helicopters were pressed into service for aerial surveillance of hiding terrorists after an encounter broke out between security forces and ultras in Jammu and Kashmir’s Bandipora district on Wednesday, officials said.
“A contact was established between #terrorists and security forces in the early morning in Renji forest area of Aragam, #Bandipora,” Kashmir Zone Police said on X. Officials said there are no reports of any casualty so far on either side. The Army has pressed helicopters into service for aerial surveillance to prevent the terrorists from fleeing, the officials said. They said a massive search operation is underway and further details are awaited.