Rs 30 L reward announced on capture of three Hizbul terrorists in JK's Kishtwar

The Jammu and Kashmir police on Wednesday announced a cash prize of Rs 30 lakh on any information leading to the capture of three more Hizbul terrorists, including Mohammad Amin alias "Jehangir Saroori", believed to be the brain behind the revival of militancy in Chinab valley region and active in Kishtwar district. A day after the Doda police announced a cash prize of Rs 15 lakh on the capture of two alleged Hizbul militants, the Kishtwar police too came up with the "wanted - dead or alive" posters in the hilly district, which has been rocked by a series of terror strikes including the killing of a senior BJP leader and an RSS functionary since November last year.

On September 28, the security forces had achieved a major breakthrough against terrorists active in the district when they killed three ultras including Osama Bin Javed in an gunfight in nearby Ramban district. They were killed while trying to escape arrest in face of stepped-up security drive in which over a dozen Hizbul Mujahideen members and over-ground workers were arrested and several of their hideouts busted.

Senior BJP leader Anil Parihar and his brother Ajit Parihar were killed outside their house in Kishtwar town on November 1, 2018 while RSS functionary Chanderkant Sharma and his PSO were assassinated in the district hospital on April 9. The ultras had also struck on two more occasions this year and decamped with service rifles of two policemen.

The reward on Saroori and his two associates -- Riyaz Ahmad alias "Hazari" and Mudassir Hussain -- came just a day after police in nearby Doda district came out with posters announcing a cash prize on information leading to the capture of two wanted Hizbul Mujahideen members -- MBA graduate-turned-terrorist Haroon Abbass Wani of Ghat village and Masood Ahmad of Dessa village. The posters in Kishtwar, put up at busy market places and carrying the pictures of the three active terrorists, also assured potential informants of keeping their identity secret. The posters also carried two phone numbers for informants to share the information.

Kishtwar's Senior Superintendent of Police Harmeet Singh said the three terrorists are active in the hilly district and the posters with their pictures have been put up to help people identify them. "We hope the people will cooperate and will provide the necessary information leading to their capture or killing," the officer said.

The Chenab valley region along with other districts of Jammu region were declared terrorism-free over a decade ago. Barring the terrorist strikes in Kishtwar, the terrorists have been kept at bay by the security forces and were not allowed to set up their bases in the region. Intelligence inputs, however, suggested the presence of some terrorists in Kishtwar and Doda districts, prompting police to come out with the "wanted - dead or alive" posters in a bid to combat militancy before it resurfaces again, security officials said.

The security forces had also launched a massive combing operation especially in the upper reaches and are maintaining pressure on the terrorists to ensure that they are not able to attract youth towards their ranks. PTI TAS AB

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