On Saturday, the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police detained a religious leader (Moulvi) from Jammu’s Bathindi area for alleged links to militants involved in the recent Poonch attack.
The SOG expanded the scope of its investigation into the attack by detaining the accused, who is a teacher in Madrassa Markaz-ul-Maarif and hails from Poonch district.
Although security forces are tight-lipped on the matter and restricted from sharing information with the media, reliable sources confirmed the news to the KNO news agency.
The Poonch attack occurred on April 20 when militants ambushed an army vehicle, killing five soldiers and injuring one. The soldiers belonged to a Rashtriya Rifles unit deployed for counter-terrorism operations.
According to the Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbagh Singh, the explosives and weapons used in the attack came from Pakistan via drones.
DGP Singh informed the media that the police had questioned over 200 people, and the operation to neutralize those involved in the attack is ongoing.
He also stated that six locals had been arrested for sheltering the militants and providing them with material support. Moreover, he claimed that there are 10 to 12 such elements operating in the area.
Army’s Northern Commander Lt. Gen. Upendra Dwivedi visited the attack site earlier and assured necessary action against the militants responsible for the attack.
Meanwhile, a massive search operation is underway in Bhata Dhurian to track down the militants involved in the attack.