SRINAGAR: Two nomads, who were abducted by unknown gunmen from their residential dhokas (a temporary shelter) in Tral forest area in south Kashmir last week, were shot dead and their bodies recovered by police on Tuesday.
Abdul Qadeer Kohli, hailing from Jammu region’s Rajouri district, and his cousin Manzoor Ahmad Kohli were abducted on the intervening night of August 18 and 19 from Pulwama district’s Tral area by terrorists believed to be from the Jaish-e-Mohammed, they said.
After the abductions, police and security forces had launched a manhunt in the forest area of Tral to track them down. The searches, however, did not yield any results.
While the bullet-ridden body of Abdul Qadeer was found at Litchinag in the higher reaches of Tral on Monday, the body of Manzoor Kohli, a resident of Sangri Khanmoh, was recovered from Lachi Top Behak forest area on Tuesday, the officials said.
This is the first militant attack after the BJP-led NDA government abrogated provisions of Article 370 and announced bifurcation of J&K into two Union Territories on August 5.
The bodies were handed over to legal heirs after completion of medico-legal formalities. “A massive manhunt has been launched to track down the killers,” a police spokesman said.
Meanwhile, security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Delina area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district after receiving inputs about the presence of militants there. A Jaish-e-Mohammed militant was arrested during the search.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Tuesday said shops and business establishments can open in areas where restrictions have been lifted while efforts have been made to ensure restoration of public transport services in the Kashmir Valley.