Jammu and Kashmir: Village defence guard killed in gunfight with terrorists, search op underway
Reinforcements were rushed to the area after the police received the call. Subsequently, a face-off occurred between forces and the hiding terrorists at around 7:45 on Sunday (April 28).
A Village Defence Guard (VDG) member was killed in a gunfight with recently infiltrated terrorists in a remote village in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur district early Sunday, a senior police officer said. Additional Director General of Police, Jammu zone, Anand Jain, who rushed to the area to supervise the anti-terrorist operation, said a massive search operation is on to track down and neutralize the terrorists who have infiltrated from Pakistan.
The ADGP said two groups of terrorists are believed to be present in the area after they recently infiltrated from across the border.
The firing was reported from Panara village of Basantgarh when a patrolling party of VDGs confronted some suspiciously moving persons, believed to be terrorists, in a forest area, they said. Police activated security in Basantgarh police station limits of Udhampur district after receiving information on suspicious movement in the area.
Meanwhile, media along with civilians were advised not to run unofficial and unverified reports on the incident. Currently, the Special Operations Group (Jammu and Kashmir) along with the Indian Army and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) are cordoning off the area.
A few days ago, an encounter broke out between terrorists and security forces at the Nowpora area in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district on Thursday. A senior police official, confirming the encounter, stated that they had received intelligence regarding the presence of two terrorists. Subsequently, a joint operation was launched with the army and CRPF, based on information gathered by the Jammu and Kashmir Police.
(Reported by -- Raahi Kapoor)
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