Three militants killed, huge cache of arms seized in J

Srinagar, Apr 22 (UNI) Police today recovered the bodies of three militants of the pro-Pakistan Hizbul Mujahideen buried under a snow avalanche in Doda district while security forces seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition in Jammu and Kashmir overnight, an official spokesman said today.

He said police recovered the bodies from Kither area under Gandoh police station in Doda district last night.

The bodies had been buried under a snow avalanche in the area recently, the spokesman said, adding they have been identified as Sajjad Ahmed, Abdul Qayoom (a special police officer-turned-militant) and Shabir Ahmed (all resident of Gandoh).

However, a UNI report from Jammu, quoting official sources, said troops of 26 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) recovered the bodies of three stranguled Hizb militants from a hilltop in Gandoh.

The sources said the three ultras were strangled by the militants of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) outfit as they were planning to surrender before the security forces.

The spokesman said police seized a live hand grenade from the debris of a house destroyed in an encounter in Pulwama district of south Kashmir on Friday.

He said police seized the live grenade during the search of the debris of the house at Ratnipora village in Pulwama district.

Two militants were killed in the gun-battle at the village.

Later, a bomb disposal squad defused the grenade.

Troops seized a huge haul of arms and ammunition from a militant hideout in a forest area of Kupwara district in Jammu and Kashmir, a military spokesperson said today.

He said troops of 30 RR, on specific information, launched a search operation in Shahnagri forests in Langait area of the border district of Kupwara last evening.

During the search, the RR personnel seized war-like stores from an underground dump in the forest area, the spokesperson added.

He said, two AK rifles, four magazines, 120 rounds of ammunition, ten hand grenades, 31 under-barrel grenade launchers (UBGLs) and 35 electronic detonators were seized from the hideout.

UNI