2 police officers among 6 killed, two SPOs desert in J and K

Srinagar, Sep 9 (UNI) Two Special Police Officers (SPOs) and a militant were among six people while two SPOs deserted the post in Jammu and Kashmir overnight, an official spokesman has said.

He said Javid Iqbal, a surrendered militant posted as SPO at Chanyas police picket shot dead two SPOs -- German Singh and Isher Lal last night.

He said another SPO Abdul Qayoum and Iqbal later deserted the post and took away one Universal Machine Gun (UMG), four Self Loading Rifles (SLR) one ak rifle, one insas rifle and a huge quantity of ammunition.

The spokesman said a massive hunt has been launched to apprehend them.

Militants entered the house of one Fareed Ahmad alias Khalid and shot him dead outside his house. His wife Reshma Bano was injured in the firing, he said adding she was hospitalised.

A former militant-turned-counter-insurgent, who helped army arrest a fidayeen two years ago, was shot dead by gunmen in a high security cantonment area last night, official sources cofirmed today.

They said gunmen, reportedly militants, fired at Mitha, a former militant working with the security forces, at Bonamsar, Sonawar in the cantonment area.

Mitha died on the spot while a woman was injured in the incident, sources said.

The former militant, Mitha, got a militant of the Pakistan based Lashker-e-Toiba arrested after a Fidayeen attack on a telephone exchange, Sonwara, two years ago in which a senior army officer and a Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) employee were killed. One fidayeen was killed while another managed to escape from the cordoned off area, a stones throw distance from the headquarters of 15 corps. However, Mitha took the Fidayeen to a nearby army camp in his three-wheeler. Mitha was working with the security forces as an informer.

Security forces killed a militant in an encounter at Donadi in south Kashmir district of Pulwama today.

Militants also entered the house of one Mumtaz Ahmad Pathan and shot him dead at Kokernag in Anantnag last night.

He said militants shot at and wounded Farooq Ahmad Guroo and Aijaz Ahmad Pandit at main chowk Bandipora this afternoon. They were hospitalised.

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