J&K: 3 militants, who killed police constable, shot dead in Kulgam encounter

Three militants invloed in the abduction and killing of a trainee police constable, were on Sunday gunned down by the security forces in the Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir.

The terrorists were trapped after a cordon-and-search operation was conducted by the Army, state Police, and CRPF in Khudwani early in the morning. They were reportedly part of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Hizbul Mujahideen (HM).

On Friday, trainee constable Saleem Shah was kidnapped from his residence in Mutalhama area of Kulgam, in south Kashmir.

His body was found the next day from a nursery near Redwani payeen village, bearing severe torture marks.

“He was undergoing training at Kathua and had gine home on leave in the night he was abducted,” said the police in a statement.

“The body had severe torture marks, indicating that he was brutally tortured to death by the terrorists,” they added.

Also Read: J&K: Police constable abducted in Shopian found dead

Shah, was the lone bread earner from his family and he is survived by his parents, two brothers and an umlnmarried sister.

“Terrorists group that tortured our colleague CT Mohd Saleem of Kulgam & killed him brutally are all trapped in an encounter with J&K Police/Army/CRPF in Khudwani Kulgam,” Director General of Police (DGP) S P Vaid had said earlier.

The search operation had begun after the army received information from the intelligence, about the presence of militants in the area.

But it soon turned into a gun battle as the terrorists broke fire on the forces who retaliated and in the ensuing gun fight, three militants were killed.

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This is however not the first time such incidents have taken place in Kashmir. Just last month army soldier Aurangzeb was kidnapped from a private vehicle, when he was returning home for a Eid celebration in Shopian. His body was later recovered from a Pulwama village.

Mobile internet services has been suspended in Kulgam and Anantnag districts as a precautionary measure.