Gujjar man killing: Search operation for terrorists intensified in J-K's Rajouri

Jammu: Search operation has been intensified in the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir to track down the terrorists involved in the killing of a man belonging to the Gujjar community, officials said on Tuesday.

The incident occurred on Monday night when the victim, Mohammad Razaq (40), came out of a mosque in his village Kunda Top under the Thanamandi police station area. Razaq's brother, Mohammad Tahir Choudhary, is a soldier in the Territorial Army, police said.

While Razaq succumbed to his injuries, Choudhary escaped unhurt, they said.

The police, army, and CRPF launched a cordon and search operation (CASO) soon after the incident and intensified the searches in the area with the support of sniffer dogs and aerial surveillance to track down the terrorists, they said.

According to the officials, Tahir could have been the target but his brother got shot.  Vehicles are being thoroughly checked, and people are being subjected to frisking at various checkpoints in the district, they added.

A criminal case has been registered in FIR under sections 302 (murder), 120A (conspiracy to commit an offence), 121B (waging war or attempting to wage war against the Government of India), 122 (collecting arms with the intention of waging war against Government of India), 458 (lurking house-trespass or house-breaking by night after preparation for hurt, assault, or wrongful restraint), the Arms Act, and sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) at the Thanamandi Police Station, officials said.  Razaq's father, Mohammad Akbar was also killed by terrorists 19 years ago in the same village.

Akbar worked in the Social Welfare Department, and Razaq was given a job by the government on compassionate grounds in the same department, they said.

Meanwhile, the security forces busted a terrorist hideout in the village of Azmatabad in Rajouri district last week. They recovered eight Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), two wireless sets, and some ammunition, officials said.

Rajouri and Poonch districts have witnessed targeted attacks by terrorists on the army and civilians in the past few years, they added.