Srinagar June 3: Police on Thursday said the detainee who snatched the rifle of a police constable and was subsequently killed in a gunfight with security forces inside Police Component complex Tral in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district last night, was an active Hizbul Mujahideen militant.
A police statement said Mohammad Amin Malik, son of Abdul Ahad Malik of Nagbal Machhma, Tral, was arrested on May 30 along with “incriminating materials viz arms, ammunition and explosives including unlicensed 12 bore gun, live rounds, explosives, iron/steel balls, 9 feature phones and other warlike stores used in fabrication of IEDs”.
While a case FIR No. 48/2021 under relevant sections of law was registered at Police Station Tral, Amin was brought from Police Station Tral to the Police Component, Tral for further interrogation, police said.
During the interrogation Amin got hold of the service rifle (AK 47) of CT Amjad Khan and fired indiscriminately with intention to kill the police personnel and critically wounded CT Amjad Khan, it said.
Police said Amin later engaged the forces by firing intermittently from the snatched weapon.
“Sensing grave danger to the lives of police personnel and that of the terror operative, his mother and Executive Magistrate were brought on the site and repeated sincere efforts were made to persuade him to through away the weapon and surrender, the police statement said.
It said that Amin “displayed complete defiance to such persuasions and not only refused to surrender but also fired upon the police party engaged in persuasion”.
One of the olice personnel was hit with a bullet on chest and survived because of bulletproof jacket he was wearing, police said.
In the subsequent gunfight and after “failing in the efforts to ensure his surrender”, Amin was killed by the joint team of forces comprising Awantipora Police, 180 Bn CRPF and 42 RR “following the rules and SoP of such engagement”, police said.
As per the police statement, the snatched weapon was recovered from Amin’s possession.
In this regard, case FIR No. 61/2021 under relevant sections of law stands registered at Police Station Tral and investigation taken up.
The body of slain militant was sent to Police Hospital Srinagar for medico-legal formalities.
Police said slain was an active militant of Hizb ul Mujahideen in the past and was arrested in 2003.
Further, his brother Shabir Malik was also a a militant of AGuH outfit who was killed in a gunfight at Brenpathri in 2019.