Kashmir Police to hand over Masood Azhar’s nephew’s body to JeM

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Police on Tuesday said the body of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Maulana Masood Azhar’s nephew, Talha Rasheed, will be handed over to the militant outfit soon.

“It was an excellent operation, nicely coordinated between the police, the army and the CRPF. I am thankful that for the first time they have owned up that he is the nephew of Masood Azhar. We will ask them (the JeM) to collect the body because they have accepted him as one of their own,” Inspector General of Police (IGP) Jammu and Kashmir, Munir Khan said while addressing a press conference.

The terrorist outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad has confirmed that the three terrorists gunned down by the security forces yesterday in an encounter in Pulwama district’s Aglar Kandi village included Maulana Masood Azhar’s nephew and the outfit’s divisional commander.

“Three militants killed during an encounter at Kandi Aglar village of Pulwama district includes nephew of Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar and outfit’s divisional commander,” a JeM spokesman said in a statement.

He said the two other terrorists who were killed in the encounter included Divisional Commander Muhammad Bhai and Waseem, a resident of Drubgam, Pulwama.

One security personnel Lance Naik Vrahma Pal Singh lost his life in yesterday’s encounter.

A civilian was also got injured in the gunfight.

Two AK-47s and a pistol were recovered from the site of the encounter.

Troops of 182 battalion and 183 battalion Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), along with 44 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) and the Jammu and Kashmir Police carried out a cordon and search operation (CASO) in the region when the encounter broke out. (ANI)