Two militants arrested in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri for allegedly stealing weapons from police barracks

Jammu: Security forces arrested two militants at a checkpoint in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district on Monday, police said. A joint check post of state police, 72 battalion of the CRPF and 38 Rashtriya Rifles of the army was set up on the Rajouri-DKG road in the early hours after weapons and ammunition were allegedly stolen by militants from police barracks during the night, Rajouri senior superintendent of police Yougal Manhas said. [caption id="" align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. PTI[/caption] Security personnel were conducting random checking of vehicles when the two motorcycle-borne militants reached the spot and were signalled to stop, the SSP said. The duo sped from the spot and started firing at the chasing security personnel, he said. However, jawans of police, army and CRPF overpowered the two. The arrested militants were identified as 22-year-old Mukhtar Ahmed and 22-year-old Aijaz Ahmed Paaray of Shopian district, Manhas said. Both are involved in militancy-related cases under Zainapura police station in Shopian district. An Insas rifle with three magazines and 49 live cartridges along with two empty cartridges was recovered from their possession, he said. Personnel deployed at the police post in BGSB Shrine Shahdra Sharif informed officers that an Insas with magazines was stolen by unidentified men from the barracks, he said. During initial interrogation, both the arrested militants said that they had stolen the weapons and magazines from the barracks. The duo was to join Hizbul Mujahideen outfit in Shopian district and were in constant touch with HM commander Zeenat-ul-Islam operating in South Kashmir. A case has been registered in Thanamandi police station, Manhas said.