Lethpora Attack: Police to go for DNA sampling of slain militant

SRINAGAR — Police have decided to go for DNA sampling of one among the three militants killed in Nowgam Shahabad village of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

The gunfight had raged a couple of days back on December 30 in which, according to police, three Jaish-e-Muhammad militants were killed. A soldier identified as Jasbir Singh was also killed in the said gunfight.

Inspector General of Police, Vijay Kumar through a tweet informed that they believe one of the slain militants was the last surviving militant involved in Lethpora Pulwama attack and they are going for DNA sampling of the slain militant to ascertain the identity.

IGP Kumar tweeted that the picture of one of the killed militants, in Anantnag encounter on December 30, matches with JeM top commander Samir Dar, who was the last surviving militant involved in Lethpora Pulwama militant attack. “We are going for DNA sample matching,” he informed.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) that probed the Lethpora attack had named 19 accused in its chargesheet. Most of the accused have either been killed or arrested.

Lethpora attack in February 2019 had left at least 40 troopers dead when a convoy of vehicles carrying CRPF on Srinagar-Jammu highway was attacked by a vehicle-borne suicide bomber.