New Delhi

The lone terrorist captured after the attack on BSF convoy in Udhampur has identified himself as Mohammed Naved from Faisalabad in Pakistan, who had a month ago entered Kupwara district in the Kashmir valley but retreated as he could not make any headway.

A resident of Ghulam Mustafabad (Faisalabad) in Pakistan, Naved, believed to be in early 20s, has two brothers and one sister. One of them is a lecturer while the other runs a hosiery business.

During questioning at a joint interrogation centre in Jammu region, he said he had initially made an attempt to enter the Kashmir Valley a month ago but had to return as their guide had not turned up to receive them, official sources said.

Naved identified the fellow terrorist killed today in the retaliatory fire by BSF as Noman alias Momin, who hailed from Bhawalpur in Pakistan.

The duo carried out an attack on a BSF convoy at Simroli near Udhampur killing two constables. In the gun fight, Noman was killed while he managed to escape before being nabbed by the Village Defence Committee members, they said.

Militant caught alive, hostages freed

Udhampur

One of the militants involved in the attack on a BSF convoy here, and who had taken five persons hostage, has been caught alive and the hostages freed.

The militant identified as Kasim Khan alias Usman was overpowered by those whom he took hostage at a school here.

“The militant has been arrested from a school building during the operation and hostages have been freed,” Deputy Commissioner (DC) Udhampur, Shahid Iqbal Choudhary told PTI.

A top police officer said that preliminary questioning has revealed that Usman, aged 16-18 years, is from Faislabad in Pakistan and he told police that he had recently infiltrated from across the border to carry out terror attacks here.

“He was caught by those whom he took hostage. Two of them, besides some VDC members, also helped in his arrest during the operation,” the DC said.

Two BSF soldiers were killed and 11 personnel injured in the attack on a BSF convoy on Jammu-Srinagar national highway in Udhampur.

Another terrorist involved in the strike was shot dead in retaliatory fire.

Usman, after the attack in Nassu-Samroli area, escaped and took five people hostage in a school building in a nearby hamlet.

“As I came out of my house after hearing gun shot, this militant came and asked me to come with him. He had already taken three-four people along,” Rakesh Kumar, a youth who was taken hostage said.

Army and Police then cordoned off the area surrounding the school to rescue the hostages. .

“We were taken at gunpoint to the school. He asked us to show us the route to escape from the area,” another hostage, Vikramjeet said.

The militant threatened them that if they didn’t show him the route, he would kill their family, he said, adding that they also offered him some food.

While the other three, Desraj, Subash Sharma and Jeeven, managed to escape, Vikramjeet and Rakesh fought with the militant and caught him after a tough struggle.

“I caught his neck and he (Rakesh) caught hold of the gun.

He (the militant) fired a few round but we escaped narrowly and caught him,” Vikramjeet said.

Fortunately there were no students in the school in view of the strike for AIIMS demand, the DC said, adding that large quantity of arms and ammunition have been recovered from the militant.

PTI