VDC member, daughter killed, tragedy averted, arms recovered in J

Srinagar, July 16 (UNI) A Village Defence Committee (VDC) member and his daughter were killed and another woman injured by Lashker militants while security forces averted a major tragedy, recovered war like stores and arrested three ultras in Jammu and Kashmir overnight.

Militants kidnapped a released ultra of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) Manzoor Ahmad at Rajpora in Pulwama district in south Kashmir last night.

A group of five to six militants of Pakistan based Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) resorted to indiscriminate firing in village Dalhal in Doda district late last night, an official spokesman said.

VDC member Dev Raj and his 8-year-old daughter Manju were kiilled and Reva Devi, wife of another VDC member Mukesh Kumar, was injured, he added. She has been hospitalised.

Security forces and police have launched a massive hunt to nab the militants responsible for the killing.

Security forces today averted a major tragedy when they detected and defused a powerful Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by militants on Zewan-Wuyan road, he said, adding that the IED was plnated to target security forces.

Security forces and police arreted a militant at Shat Gund along with one AK rifle and two LeT ultras WITH two grenades and 23 rounds of ammunition at Karan Nagar.

Troops of 23 Punjab, 2 Para and Special Operation Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir launched a joint operation at Bandipora in north Kashmir following a tip off that militants had stored a large cache of arms and ammunition in a hideout, a defence ministry spokesman said.

During the operation, troops unearthed a hideout and recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition, including seven AK assault rifles, a Pika gun, a RPG Launcher, a Flame thrower, an SLR, eight RPG boosters, two AK magazines and about 400 rounds from it, he said.

Yesterday, troops seized 70 kg of explosive, nine AK rifles, 11 pistols, four UBGL launchers, 4400 pistol ammunition, 100 belted Pika ammunition, eight RPG rounds, seven CTN ammunition, ten mortars, seven RPG boosters, one UBGL grenade, one hand grenade, 40 electronic detonators and other war-like stores at Khor.

UNI