Missing Policeman's Body Found, Kathua Encounter Mounts to 7

Operation still on, says Kathua SSP; five weapons of cops go missing from encounter site

- Ravi Krishnan Khajuria

JAMMU: While a fierce gunfight between security forces and terrorists erupted on Friday morning in Sufain forest of Jakhole village in Kathua district, the body of another policeman was found with the help of a drone near the spot where a gunfight took place a day before, said people familiar with the development. With this, the death toll of policemen has now gone up to four.

This policeman was reported 'untraceable' after initial gunfight with the heavily armed terrorists on Thursday.

Three policemen were killed in action and three terrorists were also gunned down on Thursday during an intense day-long encounter.

Kathua SSP Shobhit Saxena said, "The operations are still on. It's a vast hilly area having rugged terrain and dense forests. However, we have retrieved bodies of three policemen, who made supreme sacrifices in the line of duty on Thursday."

Saxena said that families of the bravehearts have come to receive their bodies.

He said, "Bodies of the three terrorists have not been retrieved yet and they are lying at the encounter site."

Trained by Pak army in guerrilla warfare, these terrorists, after first gunfight, either lay booby traps or ambushes around bodies, to inflict losses on security forces.

When asked about the number of terrorists hiding in the area, the SSP said, "We are not sure about their number. The area is vast, and security forces are moving in very cautiously because we don't want to suffer further losses." When asked about sighting the body of the fourth policeman with the help of a drone camera, the SSP said that he can't confirm it at this stage.

Sources divulged that five weapons of cops have gone missing from the encounter site after initial gunfight on Thursday.

"It is being suspected that the fleeing terrorists have taken them along," they said.