Two to three terrorists attacked the security forces on the Panjtirthi-Sidhra road at 7.30am in Jammu. As a result of the encounter, three terrorists were killed, and more security personnel were quickly dispatched to the area. A grenade explosion was followed by a gunfight.
The truck driver fled the spot, additional director general of police Mukesh Singh said. “We noticed an unusual movement of a truck and followed it. The truck was stopped at Sidhra in Jammu where the driver managed to flee. When the truck was searched terrorists hiding inside, fired on the personnel. Retaliatory firing was done,” Singh said.
Residents who woke up to the sounds of five to six grenade bursts followed by a frenzied exchange of gunfire were the ones to initially describe the incident.
The encounter comes after the police on Monday defused an improvised explosive device (IED) weighing 15 kilograms which was recovered in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district — averting a major terror plan. One coded sheet and one letter pad page of banned terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) were also recovered, officials said, adding that a suspect has been detained.
According to the officials, a case has been registered at Basantgarh police station and further investigation is underway.
“IED-like material weighing around 15 kg in a cylindrical shape, 300-400 grams of RDX, seven cartridges of 7.6 mm, five detonators, one coded sheet, one letter pad page of banned terrorist organisation LET in Basantgarh area of District Udhampur, one suspect has also been detained,” the police said in a statement.
One AK-47 rifle, one AK-56 rifle, four AK series magazines, live rounds, RDX powder, nails and ball bearings, 9-volt batteries, detonators, IED mechanism circuit, remote control, loose wire, and iron pipes were found and two active LeT terrorists and two associates, including a woman, were apprehended in a joint operation by Jammu and Kashmir police and security forces in November at Bandipora in Jammu and Kashmir.