Terror hideout busted in Ramban

Jammu/srinagar, April 5

A huge cache of arms and ammunition, including a mortar, was seized when the Army and police in a joint operation busted a terror hideout in the forest area of Ramban district.

The hideout was busted in far-flung, hilly and forested area of Khari tehsil of Ramban district.

“Information was received regarding a cache of arms in the area. A joint search operation of the J&K Police and 23 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) was launched in the forest area. Suspected hideout locations were searched which continued till evening on April 4 during which security forces busted a hideout and seized heavy amount of arms and ammunition,” said an official spokesperson of the police.

A 52 mm mortar, 256 cartridges of 7.62 mm, five AK-47 magazines, four detonators, two feet cordtex wire (used for detonating purpose), two Pika bullets, one Pika belt among other ammunition were seized.

“An FIR under Section 7/25 Arms Act and Section 4 of Explosives Substances Act has been registered at Banihal police station,” said the official spokesperson.

The joint search operation of the police and 23 RR was led by Major Mayank and the police party was headed by Sub-Inspector Rajnish Pangotra.

Meanwhile, the Kashmir Police claimed that two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) associates have escaped from their custody in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.

The two men are accused in a wine shop blast case in Baramulla last year.

“The two accused were in the custody of police station, Baramulla, and escaped in the wee hours of Wednesday,” a police spokesperson said.

They have been identified as Maroof Nazir Soleh and Shahid Showkat Bala of Baramulla.

On May 17, a burqa-clad terrorist walked up to a newly-opened wine shop at Deewanbagh locality in Baramulla, dropped a grenade inside through a window, causing an explosion which killed one employee and left three others injured.

The duo was traced and arrested hours later on Wednesday evening from the Old Town area of Baramulla.