Former Hizbul terrorist held after 18-yearr hunt

A former Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist was arrested after a long hunt of 18 years from Reasi district on Thursday, the police said.

Anwari Ali Chouhan alias Jamsheer, originally a resident of Gujjar-Kothian Talwara, had joined Hizbul Mujahideen in 2001. He remained active for seven years before surrendering in 2007 in the Kashmir Valley, a police spokesperson said.

Chouhan subsequently went underground and kept changing his location so as to evade arrest in multiple militancy-related cases registered at the Reasi police station.

Several attempts were made to arrest him over the years by conducting raids at his known locations in Gujjar Kothian, Chinore (Jammu) and Kherpora (Anantnag), the spokesman said.

After strenuous efforts and the use of technical surveillance, police finally arrested him from a forest area near Gujjar Kothian, Talwara, he said.

Chouhan was wanted in two terror-related incidents, including a firing incident on January 5, 2006, in the Jadd forest, and a grenade attack at Baradari in Reasi on April 7, 2006, which killed the father of a police officer and injured four others, the spokesman said.

Chouhan's brother Mumtaz Ali was also found involved in the attack and was arrested in 2007, he said.