SRINAGAR: At least six people including two bank guards, a woman and three Pakistani militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba were killed in two militancy incidents in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday.
A police official said police, army and paramilitary CRPF men on specific information about presence of militants laid siege around Mir Mohalla area of Unisoo in Handwara in border district of Kupwara last night.
He said they had information that three militants were hiding in a house.
“We encircled the house and asked the militants to surrender. However they turned down the surrender offer and fired on the security personnel. The fire was returned by the troops and in the ensuing gunfight, which continued till this morning, three militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba were killed,” he said.
The official said the slain militants were Pakistani nationals and three AK rifles and other ammunition was recovered from the encounter site.
He said a woman identified as Misra Bano, 23, was caught in the cross-fire after she tried to escape from the house where from militants were firing on security forces.
“She sustained bullet injuries in the cross fire and died on spot,” the official said.
Later, hundreds of people braving rain and chill attended her funeral prayers amidst chanting of pro-freedom and anti-India slogans.
The woman is survived by six-month-old child, husband and elderly parents.
Meanwhile, militants ambushed Jammu and Kashmir Bank cash van at Kral Check area of Shopian in south Kashmir this afternoon.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Shopian, Ambarkar Shriram Dinkar told New Indian Express that Jammu and Bank bullet proof scorpio vehicle was ambushed by militants between Pohju and Kralcheck area of Shopian at around 3 pm.
He said the vehicle was returning after depositing cash at a bank branch when it was attacked by militants.
“In the militant attack, the driver lost control of the vehicle and it turned turtle. Due to it, the backdoor of the vehicle opened and two private security guards of the bank sustained bullet wounds in the militant firing,” Dinkar said.
He said both the injured security guards were rushed to District Hospital Pulwama, where doctors declared them brought dead.
The deceased guards were identified as Tariq Ahmad R/o Pulwama and Mushtaq Ahmad R/o Anantnag.
Three other bank guards had sustained injuries after the vehicle had turned turtle.
The security guards were employees of Honest Security Agency, a private security firm.
After the attack, police, CRPF and army men launched a joint combing and search operation in the area to track down the militants responsible for the attack.
No militant group has owned responsibility of the attack.
SP Dinkar said they have launched a manhunt to identify the attackers and track them down.
It is the second attack on bank cash van in south Kashmir this year.
Earlier, on May 1, militants had attacked J&K Bank cash van in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, killing five policemen including a Station House Officer (SHO) and two bank guards.