Srinagar: The militants who attacked the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) party at north Kashmir's Handwara, on Monday evening, have also decamped with two service rifles of slain jawans, officials said on Tuesday.
"The militants before managing to flee from the gunfight spot stole two weapons of our slain personnel, " a senior CRPF official told ETV Bharat.
"Soon after the incident, we realised that the weapons are missing and thus raised the alarm. Internal investigation too is under process to verify facts, " the official added.
Three CRPF personnel were killed in an attack by militants in Wangam area of Handwara's Qaziabad village in north Kashmir's Kupwara district, a day after five security personnel, including two senior Army officers, were killed in a gunfight with militants in the same district.
According to the J&K police, a 14-year-old differently-abled Hazim Shafi Bhat also got killed during "cross-firing."
“We had launched a massive search operation to nab the attackers but they took the advantage of dense foliage of nearby orchards and managed to escape from the spot,” a senior police official said.
On Tuesday, J&K Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbagh Singh said that anti-militancy operations will be intensified further in coming time. About the security forces facing casualties, Singh said, “at times, we have to bear losses too.”
“You must have seen that security arrangements are already strengthened and anti-militancy operations are going on and incoming time they (operation) will be further intensified,” the DGP said while speaking to media during the wreath-laying ceremony of the slain men.
Speaking on the newly formed militant outfit, The Resistance Front (TRF), the officer said: “It (the outfit) is just an offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba”.
The outfit had claimed that “scores of Indian Forces Personnel” were killed and many more were critically injured while “rifles and ammunition were also recovered from them.”
Meanwhile, police station Kralgund filed a case under FIR number 60/2020 under section 307, 302 IPC and 7/27 IA Act in connection with the incident.
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