The security forces are facing a race against time as the militants' sighting in the Twin districts of Kathua and Udhampur has been reported at least four times in the past ten days.
The three remaining militants once again surfaced near Chore Panjuan village in the Kathua-Udhampur districts last night.
The militants took shelter in a house, consumed food, and forced the family to pack more for them before fleeing the scene along with their mobile phone.
Chore Panjuan village falls in the Majalta belt of Udhampur district and borders Billawar tehsil of Kathua, where the militants have been moving from one forest to another in search of a hideout after their infiltration from the International Border in the Hiranagar sector in Kathua district, where they were first spotted by a family in a vast nursery at village Sanyal on March 23.
Upon receiving the reports, DIG Udhampur-Reasi Range Rayees Mohammad Bhat informed reporters that a joint operation had been launched by police and security forces in the village.
“It will be premature to say whether the group is the same that was first spotted in parts of Billawar,” Bhat said.
Reports said that militants kept the family hostage but did not harm them; however, they took away their food and mobile phone to ensure the family did not inform security forces before they could disappear into the forests.
“As the family confirmed the presence of only three militants, security agencies believed that the group was the same that was present in Panjtirthi forests and escaped after a brief exchange of gunfire on Monday,’’ the sources said.
The militants, as per sources, are trying to reach some forest areas of Billawar where they may have certain cave hideouts for taking shelter.
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Meanwhile, a multi-tier operation to track down three infiltrating militants who escaped three back-to-back encounters has now entered its 12th consecutive day, with security forces intensifying the combing operations to track the fleeing militants.
The search operation was intensified with aerial surveillance, including the use of choppers, UAVs, and sniffer dogs. Teams comprising the Army, NSG, Police, SOG, CRPF, and BSF are combing all areas to cover the region.
Over 27 individuals have been questioned for gathering information about the militant movements. Security agencies believe that these militants would not survive without the logistical food and shelter from the OGW network.
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