Srinagar : Jammu and Kashmir Police on Friday issued following statement regarding Tral gunfight saying that on a credible input, a cordon and search operation was launched by police, CRPF and army at Batpora in Dadsara area of Awantipora.
“During the search operation, the hiding militants fired on the search party. The fire was retaliated leading to an encounter,” said the spokesman.
“In the ensuing encounter, one militant was killed and the body was retrieved from the site of encounter. The slain militant was identified as Zakir Rashid Bhat alias Musa of Noorpora Tral,” he said.
“According to the police records, Zakir had a long history of crime records since 2013. He was initially associated with proscribed militant outfit HM then he floated new outfit Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH). He was wanted by law for his complicity in a series of crimes including attack on security establishments and civilian atrocities,” he added.
“As per police records Zakir was involved in planning and executing series of attacks in the area and many other civilian atrocities. Several crime cases were registered against him. He was involved in case FIR No 126/2014 pertaining to the grenade attack on CISF at Noorpora Check, Case FIR No 135/2014 pertaining to abduction and killing of a civilian Firdous Ahmad Hurrah of Dusoo Pulwama, Case FIR No. 24/2015 pertaining to inciting youth for terrorist activities, Case FIR No. 39/2016 pertaining to killing of a civilian lady Hameed Bano of Noorpora, Case FIR No. 190/2016 pertaining to snatching of weapons from security forces, Case FIR No. 165/2016 pertaining to arson act on Govt Higher Secondary School Dadsara, Case FIR No. 170/2016 pertaining to anti-National activities, Case FIR No. 80/2017 pertaining to other terrorist activities, Case FIR No. 139/2017 pertaining to bank dacoity at J&K Bank Noorpora, Case FIR No. 50/2018 pertaining to raising of funds for militant activities. Besides several other cases were registered against him pertaining to attacks and civilian atrocities in the area,” said the spokesman.
The spokesman said, “Further, He was declared as a pro-claimed offender by NIA special court Mohali Punjab on May 2, 2019, in NIA case RC-39/2018/NIA/DLI. The said case pertains to his involvement in serial blasts at Jalandhar Punjab on September 14, 2018, for which case FIR No. 163/2018 was registered at Police Station Maqsudan Jalandhar. The investigation of the said case was later taken by NIA.”
“Incriminating materials including arms & ammunition was recovered from the site of encounter. Police has registered a case and all these materials have been taken in the case records for the purpose of investigation and to probe their complicity in other crimes. People are requested to cooperate with police till the area is completely sanitized and cleared of all the explosives materials if any,” said the police spokesman in a statement.