Fresh Encounter Breaks Out In J&K's Kathua, Search Ops On To Find 3 Hidden Terrorists

This comes days after two terrorists and four policemen were killed in a gunfight in the Kathua district, while several people, including a deputy superintendent of police, sustained injuries.

A fresh encounter broke out in J&K's Kathua district on Monday following which a search operation is underway to find three hidden terrorists.

Source : PTI

A search and destroy operation to track down three hidden terrorists is underway following an encounter last night in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua. The operation resumed Thursday with multiple security agencies engaged in the effort after the terrorists escaped to a forested area in Panjthirthi-Barota during the gunfight.

The area was also placed under a cordon after the Monday night gunfire between police and terrorists. The three terrorists are believed to be from the Jaish-e-Mohammed group. 

The operation was launched by the Indian Army's Rising Star Corps, along with the Jammu and Kashmir police and the Central Reserve Police Force in Kathua's Panjtirthi area on Tuesday morning after receiving inputs about possible 'terrorist' movement.

Encounter Between Security Forces And Terrorists In Kathua

The search operation and fresh encounter took place days after two terrorists and four policemen were killed in a gunfight in the Kathua district, while several people, including a deputy superintendent of police, sustained injuries.

These terrorists were engaged in an encounter in a forest area of the Sanyal belt of Kathua by the security forces, following which the hiding terorrists have been changing their locations in the forest area.

The search operation was intensified early on Monday morning with the deployment of aerial surveillance and sniffer dogs. It culminated into a fresh encounter on Monday night. A night cordon was set up to ensure that the three terrorists trapped in the forests do not escape.

In a post on X, the Rising Star Corps of Indian Army said that suspicious movement was witnessed in the Panjtirthi area on Monday night, leading to a gunfight between police and terrorists and prompting a search and destroy operation first thing on Tuesday morning.

"Acting on intelligence inputs, multiple surveillance-cum-ambushes were deployed in general area Panjtirthi Kathua by Indian Army, Police and CRPF. Suspicious movement was observed on the night of 31 March, leading to an exchange of fire," Rising Star Corps said in the X post.

On Monday, the operation, led by a team of officers from the Army, Police, NSG, CRPF, and BSF, was carried out in the forested belts of Rui, Juthana, Ghati, and Sanyal in the Rajbagh region, as well as parts of Billawar.

According to a PTI report, three suspicious persons dressed in black robes and carrying bags entered the house of a villager in Rui village and asked a lone elderly woman for water. They had barged into her kitchen and took away 'rotis' and 'sabzi' before fleeing. 

Earlier on Monday, Deputy Inspector General Shiv Kumar Sharma had said that the operation will continue till the last terrorist is neutralised, asking people living near the border to report any suspicious activity.

"Jammu and Kashmir Police will continue its operation until the terrorists are neutralised. Every soldier of ours is committed to killing every terrorist selectively so that our area remains safe. The Army is with us, and everyone is conducting search operations together as a team. We have an international border and people are very alert and give us information on which we take action," Sharma said while speaking to reporters on Monday, as reported by news agency ANI.

The security forces picked up six persons, including some women from one family, for questioning over suspicion that they provided assistance to terrorists operating in the region.

(With inputs from PTI, ANI)