SOURCE: Hindustan Times
A day after security forces eliminated four Jaish terrorists in a swift operation at Ban toll plaza on Jammu-Srinagar national highway near Nagrota in Jammu district early Thursday, the truck driver who was ferrying them, remains absconding.
Jammu district police chief SSP Shridhar Patil said, “The driver remains absconding but we are at it. Police teams are working on it.” Nagrota SHO, Inspector Mohammad Showkat, said that police have intensified searches but the driver has not been arrested as yet.
“Either he is hiding in the area or might have been picked up by another vehicle. At this moment, we don’t know his identity as well,” said Showkat.
Two policemen of the special operations group (SOG) were also injured in the exchange of fire with heavily armed terrorists. They have been identified as Kuldeep Raj (32) of Akhnoor in Jammu district and Mohammad Ishaq Malik (40) of Neel Qasim Banihal in Ramban district.
Both have been admitted to GMC Jammu with injuries on neck and their condition is said to be stable.
The encounter between terrorists and security forces started around 4.50am at Ban toll plaza on Jammu-Srinagar national highway on Thursday.
IGP Jammu zone Mukesh Singh said that the truck was ferrying the terrorists to Kashmir.
“It was put to check by the policemen at the toll plaza because we had intelligence inputs with us,” he said.
Singh further said, “In the exchange of fire, four terrorists were eliminated and two constables were injured. Terrorists lobbed grenades on security forces during checking. The truck also caught fire and a few grenades also exploded inside it during the exchanges”.
“Area is now being sanitized,” he added.
The IGP informed that in the run up to DDC elections, security forces were getting intelligence inputs of possible infiltration by Pakistan terrorists.
In the three hour long operation, all the four terrorists were eliminated, he said and added that 11 AK-47 rifles, three pistols, 29 live grenades, six UBGL grenades, mobile phones, compass, pithy bags and other ammunition were recovered from the slain terrorists.
