Apples, ‘chapatis’, fence cutters among recoveries from terrorists shot dead in Poonch

Arjun Sharma

Jammu, September 7

Army and police have recovered apples, dates, ‘chapatis’ and fence cutters along with weapons from the spot where two terrorists were shot dead during an infiltration bid on Wednesday in Poonch district.

Two terrorists were observed crossing Line of Control (LoC) on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday in Mandi sub sector of Poonch district. A Joint operation was launched by Army and police immediately to intercept the terrorists.

While the ultras tried to take advantage of hostile terrain and thick vegetation in the area, soldiers laden with night vision equipment were able to eliminate the ultras. Body of one terrorist was recovered on Wednesday morning.

During a search operation which continued till Thursday, the Army recovered a cache of arms and eatables which indicate that the ultras were Pakistani and entering Indian territory for a long haul.

Sources in Army intelligence said an AK series assault rifle, a pistol along with night vision binoculars, medical kit, grenade, fence cutter, almonds, apples, dates, biscuits and batteries among others were recovered from the ultras.

“Presence of woollen gloves, clothing and walking sticks indicate that the ultras might be planning to stay in higher reaches of the UT. The presence of large quantities of eatables is an indication that they might have lived in forest areas without any local support,” said the sources.

Many terrorists have been eliminated in Rajouri, Poonch and Reasi area during the recent past even as Pakistan was trying to revive terrorism in Jammu division. Many Over Ground Workers (OGWs) have also been arrested by J&K police.