Nagrota encounter: How Pakistani Rangers in Narowal’s Shakargarh helped four JeM terrorists infiltrate into India

In a major growth, prime safety officers on Friday asserted that Pakistani Rangers in Shakargarh space of Punjab’s Narowal district in Pakistan helped 4 terrorists of proscribed terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) infiltrate into India.

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On Thursday, 4 JeM terrorists had been killed in an encounter with safety forces on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. The terrorists, who had been hiding in a truck, had been killed close to the Ban toll plaza on the freeway of the union territory within the early hours of Thursday. 

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The encounter began after a truck carrying 4 terrorists from Jammu to Kashmir was intercepted by safety forces personnel close to the freeway. The gunbattle began close to Nagrota toll plaza when some terrorists opened fireplace at police and paramilitary forces. The Army additionally joined the operation. 

Top sources inside the safety institution stated on Friday that the terrorists had infiltrated the evening earlier than the encounter from Shakargarh sector, simply two days after the brand new moon evening. They took the riverine route to achieve nationwide freeway between Samba and Heeranagar in Jammu & Kashmir. They had been picked at round 3.10 am in LP truck stuffed with rice baggage.

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The terrorists had been helped on the launchpad close to Sialkot, Pakistan by one Mohammad Rauf who’s believed to be their handler and head of the JeM Sialkot module. Police have gotten maintain of some cellphone numbers from the cell phone recovered with the terrorists and are presently probing the gadget.

“Shakargarh from where the terrorists have infiltrated is the headquarters of the Pakistani Rangers and hence complicity of the Rangers can’t be ruled out. This is similar to previous cases in the area, same modus operandi except for the fact that the truck used a fake registration number. This will be probed in detail,” a prime official probing the JeM actions within the space revealed on situation of anonymity.

Top sources have additionally revealed a short alternate of fireside on the International border across the route of infiltration that triggered an preliminary alarm at about midnight, the identical time when terrorists sneaked inside Indian territory. Security forces are additionally in search of a tunnel utilized by these terrorists to infiltrate within the International Border (IB) space.

Initial investigations have revealed that JeM terrorists wished to disrupt the forthcoming District Development Council (DDC) polls within the Kashmir valley with a serious terror incident. Intelligence companies had alerted safety forces a few potential infiltration bid round Jammu and therefore forces had been vigilant and on an alert. Experts consider this to be a major achievement months after the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A which had additionally strengthened the safety counter-terror grid.

The operation was led by Jammu and Kashmir Police IG Mukesh Singh who had warned terrorists to give up or else face the results. Within minutes all 4 terrorists who had been hiding in a truck had been eradicated. The police have recovered 11 AK-47 rifles, 3 Pistols, 6 UBGL grenades and a cell phone.

“We had inputs about infiltration by Lashkar and Jaish terrorists from Pakistan, hence we were alert. Never before though has such a huge cache of arms been recovered with infiltrating terrorists. It appears their modus operandi was something big and they were on way to Kashmir valley. The driver of the truck is absconding. Satellite and mobile phones recovered from terrorists are being probed,” IG Jammu Mukesh Singh stated after visiting the encounter web site.

“When the Valley infiltration is effective and layered in-depth it is inevitable that Jammu becomes the centre and route for sending in human resources and wherewithal to Kashmir. The trans-Pir Panjal networks are quite obviously still in existence although much dented by the good work of the agencies,” stated Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain, former GOC 15th Corps. “Secondly, the good work by Jammu & Kashmir Police and other security forces is indeed making a difference in ensuring that terror is not rekindled in the Jammu region. This good work must continue in earnest,” he added.

Security forces in 2020 alone have eradicated greater than 210 terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. The newest killing of 4 Pakistani terrorists and averting a serious terror strike earlier than native DDC polls had inspired the forces additional. 

“It was a clean and professional operation carried out by J&K police with surgical precision. The results of operation in the form of killing of 4 terrorists, recovery of 11 AK rifles with a huge quantity of additional arms, ammunition and equipment, speaks for the success achieved in foiling a big terrorist strike in the valley,” stated former J&Ok DGP Kuldeep Khoda.

Meanwhile, a staff of the National Investigative Agency (NIA) has visited the encounter web site. Since the case is much like a number of such earlier makes an attempt by Pakistani terror outfit JeM, the case may very well be transferred to the NIA. The last name can be taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs within the subsequent 48 hours.

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DGP Jammu Kashmir Police Dilbagh Singh had stated, “Terrorists affiliated with JEM group have been killed at Ban toll plaza in Jammu-Kashmir Highway near Nagrota. They infiltrated from Samba Sector. The terrorists lobbed a grenade on security forces during checking.”