Sub-Inspector shot while chasing LeT militant

Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, October 7

A Sub-Inspector of the J&K Police was killed in a militant firing while chasing the alleged Udhampur attack mastermind in north Kashmir’s Bandipore today.

The slain Sub-Inspector, Altaf Ahmed, known as “Altaf laptop”, had been instrumental in arrest and killing of a number of militants across the Valley over the last decade and his killing is a big loss for the police and the overall counter insurgency operations in the region. “He was one of the best officers we had and it is a big loss,” Kashmir IGP SJM Gillani said.

The police said they had information about the movement of two militants from Hajin to Bandipore and a checkpoint was set up at Gund Dachina Aragam, 50 km from here this afternoon. “A vehicle was intercepted at the checkpoint but two terrorists travelling in the vehicle opened fire,” Gillani said.

Altaf was critically wounded and was airlifted to Army’s 92 Base Hospital at Badamibagh cantonment where he succumbed to his injuries.

The IGP, however, did not confirm whether Udhampur attack mastermind Abu Qasim, a Lashkar-e-Toiba militant, was inside the vehicle which was intercepted.

Sources, however, said Qasim was travelling in the vehicle that was being pursued by Altaf. “When the vehicle was intercepted by a police team, they opened indiscriminate firing on the car resulting in injuries to Altaf,” a source said.