In two quick back to back operations, police and security forces neutralised two top most-wanted terrorists, Saleem Parray of Hajin and Hamza, a Pakistani terrorist at Shalimar area, on the outskirts of Srinagar city.

Inspector-General of Police, Kashmir range, said the two were wanted in a series of killings of civilians and policemen in the last many years.

Giving details about the encounters, he said on a specific input generated by police regarding the presence of terrorists in the Harwan/Shalimar area, a search operation was launched by the Srinagar Police and CRPF in the said area. During the search operation, the search party was fired indiscriminately against the hiding terrorist, which was effectively retaliated leading to a brief shootout and elimination of Saleem Parray, linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT.

Soon after the operation, he said another operation was carried out by Police, CRPF along with Army in the Gasu area under PS Zakoora. One foreign terrorist identified as Hafiz @ Hamza of Pakistan linked with LeT was killed.

Kumar said as per police records, Parray was active since 2016 and wanted by law in several terror crime cases. He was involved in several in the killing of Bashir Ahmad Dar, his brother Ghulam Hassan Dar at Shahgund Hajin in May 2018, killing of Hilal Ahmad Parray at Parray Mohalla, Hajin in the same month. The IGP said he was involved in the throat-slitting of many civilians in the Hajin area besides providing logistic support to terrorists operating in the area to carry out attacks on security forces.

Parray, he said, was involved in reviving the terror folds of proscribed terror outfit LeT in Hajan and its adjoining area.

IGP Kumar said Pakistani terrorist Hafiz Hamza was involved in several terror crimes including the recent killing of two policemen at Gulshan Chowk Bandipora on December 2021. He said he shifted his base to the Harwan area of Srinagar due to frequent cordon and search operations in the Bandipora area. He was also involved in the killings of a CRPF personnel at Hajin Bandipora and a civilian Nadif Hanief Khan of Bilal Colony, Soura in Srinagar.

The duo, police said, were involved in the attack on the search party of police in Hajin in which one police personnel constable Zaheer Abbas was killed.

Incriminating materials, arms and ammunition were recovered from both the encounter sites.