Hizbul Mujahideen chief Reyaz Naikoo was killed in an encounter with security forces in Beighpora area of Awantipora in Kashmir on May 6, 2020

Kashmir: A day after Hizbul Mujahideen chief Riyaz Naikoo was killed by the security forces in Beighpora area of Awantipora on May 6, 2020, Inspector General of Police of Kashmir Zone Vijay Kumar, Thursday, said the killing of the dreaded terrorist will significantly slow down the number of Kashmiri youth joining terrorist ranks.

Addressing a press conference, the top cop said Naikoo was very efficient in influencing several Kashmiri youths to join the terrorist outfits. The former Hizbul commander used to upload one or two videos in 1-2 months which were aimed at targetting the youth of the area to join the terrorist ranks.

Naikoo carried a reward of Rs 12 lakh and the police and security forces were looking for him for eight years.

He said Naikoo’s death was a huge victory for the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the security forces as the ex-Hizbul chief was involved in collecting booty from illicit cultivation of opium and ‘bhang’ in Kashmir. The dreaded terrorist was involved in the killings of many civilians, policemen and security forces.

Divulging further details about Naikoo’s encounter, Kashmir range Police IG Vijay Kumar, said that police was in lookout for the slain Hizbul Mujahideen commander for the past 6 months. 

The Kashmir IG also talked about the terror group, The Resistance Front (TRF). Kumar said the TRF is a front of Pakistan-based terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba and it is promoted so that Islamabad escapes international scrutiny.