Security forces demolished the homes of two LeT militants involved in the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 27 people, including tourists and a horse-handler
J&K forces demolish homes of Pahalgam attack suspects; heightened combing ops continue amid intensified manhunt for Lashkar-e-Taiba militants (Image Credits: X)
Srinagar: The security forces on Thursday night demolished the family houses of two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) cadres, Adil Hussain Thoker and Asif Sheikh, suspected to be involved in Tuesday’s terror attack in Baisaran meadow near Pahalgam, at separate locations using ‘explosives’.
The security agencies had on Wednesday released the sketches of three suspected militants involved in the attack. Identifying them as Hashim Musa alias Suleiman, Adil Hussain Thoker and Ali Bhai alias Abu Talha, they had said that they might still be hiding in the surrounding forests.
The sketches were prepared based on inputs from survivors and eyewitnesses, many of whom recalled seeing the perpetrators moments before the assault which left 26 tourists and a local horse-handler dead and several other tourists injured, the officials had said, adding that the release of these sketches is expected to help generate leads from the public and assist in narrowing down the search. The J&K police had said they suspect the involvement of a fourth attacker and announced a cash reward of ₹ 20 lakh each for the information that would lead to the elimination of perpetrators.
The family members of Asif Sheikh said that the security forces “planted explosives” to blow up their house at Mongaham in the Tral area of southern Pulwama district.
In a separate action, the security forces destroyed the family house of Adil Thoker at Gurre village in the Bijbehara area of neighbouring Anantnag district. Thoker’s sketch figured among the three suspected perpetrators of the Pahalgam carnage, the other two being Pakistani nationals. His family members said that they were asked to vacate the house and then they blew up the house by planting explosives. The villagers while speaking to visiting reporters corroborated the claim.
Though no official statement has been issued regarding the demolition of Adil Thoker’s home, the officials claimed that during the search of Asif Sheikh’s house, the security personnel discovered objects and wires protruding from a box. They said the team withdrew, and later the members of the Corps of Engineers who were called to the spot confirmed the presence of explosives and that, while these were being defused, a blast took place damaging the house.
The police sources said that Adil Thoker had gone to Pakistan on a visa in 2018 and returned to the Valley last year before joining the militants’ ranks. According to the police records, Musa and Ali have been active in the Valley for almost two years now whereas Asif Sheikh is reportedly their local collaborator.
Meanwhile, the police in central district of Ganderbal on Friday detained a horse-handler Aiyaz Ahmad Jungal after a video in which a woman tourist is heard claiming that he had asked her about her religion and made a suspicious call using his mobile phone to someone went viral. The lady whose name has been withheld by the police had also displayed a photograph of Aiyaz.
The police said that, after taking swift action on her complaint, Aiyaz, a resident of Ganderbal’s Gohipora Raizan and a pony service provider at Thajwas Glacier (Sonamarg) was detained for questioning.
The Ganderbal police also said that in view of prevailing scenario and in order to liquidate the threat perceptions, it along with Army, CRPF and SSB started combing operations especially in those areas of the district “where anti-nationals can possibly take refuge or had connection with the Over Ground Workers and other supporters”.
( Source : Asian Age )
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