Srinagar: Police on Friday identified the two slain militants killed in Gadapora Shopian gunfight as Showkat Ahmad Sheikh, a resident of Harmain Shopian and Yasir Ahmad Shah resident of Arhama Shopian.
According to the police records, both the militants were affiliated with JeM outfit and were wanted by law for their complicity in several “terror” crimes including attack on security establishments and civilian “atrocities”.
“Showkat Ahmad Sheikh was involved in abduction and brutal killing of three police officials Nisar Ahmad Dhobi, Firdous Ahmad Kucchay and Kulwant Singh all residents of Shopian last year in 2018. As per police records, he was also involved in attacks on PS Shopian in 2018 in which one police official Saqib Mohi-ud-Din. He was wanted by law for his involvement in several rifle snatching incidents reported across South Kashmir. He was also involved in conspiring and executing many terror attacks in the area. Several terror crime cases were registered against him,” the police spokesman said in a statement.
“This group was also responsible for the brutal killing of lady police official Khusboo Jan recently in Shopian,” the spokesman added.
Arms and ammunition including AK 47 rifles were recovered from the site of encounter. All these materials have been taken in the case records for further investigation and to probe their complicity in other “terror” cases.
Citizens are once again requested not to venture inside the encounter zone since such an area can prove dangerous due to stray explosive materials. People are requested to cooperate with police till the area is completely sanitized and cleared of all the explosives materials if any, Police said.
