Kashmir: Terrorists kidnap kin of 11 policemen after arrest of Hizbul militant

Kashmir: In another attack on the Jammu and Kashmir police, terrorists have abducted 11 people, family members of whom are working in the police and the Army. 

Senior police sources told MyNation that the kindred have been abducted from Shopian, Kulgam, Anantnag and Awantipora in the state on Thursday night. 

Some of the kidnapped people have been identified as - Zubair Ahmad Bhat (son of policeman Mohd Maqbool Bhat), Arif Ahmad Sankar (brother of station house officer Nazir Ahmad Sankar), Faizan Ahmad Makro (son of policeman Bashir Ahmad Makro), Sumar Ahmad Rather (son of policeman Ab.Salam Rather), Gowher Ahmad Malik (brother of top police officer DSP Aijaz), Yasir Ahmad Bhat (son of police officer ASI Bashir Ahmad Bhat). 

The police said that the abductions are pressure tactics created after the arrest of Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin’s son Shakeel earlier on Thursday. These kidnappings come shortly after the security forces in Kashmir arrested the allies of the terrorists in the area.

The police have not given any immediate official statement regarding the abductions and investigations are still ongoing.

After the kidnappings, terrorists have shared a message on social media in which they have described it as operation ‘Alkisas’. A message issued by the media group of Al-Aqsa, Pakistan-based terrorist organization, had said that the eight families of the police officers have abducted, including a DSP's brother. However, intel about the kidnapping of three more people was revealed after this message.

No terrorist organisation has taken responsibility for the abduction, but the police suspect Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Toiba are behind these attacks.

It is the first time in 28 years that families of policemen in Kashmir have been targeted in this way.

With inputs from Gursimran Singh and Rohit Goja

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