Militant’s body recovered after gunfight in Budgam

SRINAGAR — A Jaish-e-Muhammad militant was killed in a gunbattle with government forces at Kralpora, Checkpora in central Kashmir’s Budgam district on Friday, police said.

Witnesses said that a joint operation as launched by the 50 Rashtriya Riffles, SoG and CRPF. As the forces tried to zero in on the house where the militant was hiding, he opened a volley of bullets and triggered a fierce encounter.

“In the ensuing gunbattle, the militant was killed and later identified as Abu Zarar, a resident of Pakistan. He was affiliated with Jaish-e-Muhammad outfit,” a statement said.

Police spokesman in a statement issued here said that as per police records, the slain militant was affiliated with proscribed outfit JeM and was wanted by law for his complicity in crimes including attack on security establishments and civilian atrocities.

“According to the police records, he was part of groups involved in planning and executing attacks in the area and many other civilian atrocities. Several terror crime cases were registered against him,” he said.

“Incriminating material including arms & ammunition were recovered from the site of encounter. All these materials have been taken into case records for further investigation and to probe their complicity in other crimes,” he added.