Militants in Jammu and Kashmir loot bank cash and police weapons

Srinagar : After the death of Hizbul Mujahideen Commander Burhan Wani, the militants in Jammu and Kashmir have gone berserk and launched attacks on security forces, educational institutions and administrative organizations. Now going a step further, the militants in the Kashmir Valley have taken to looting bank cash and police weapons. In the last few days, the instances of looting cash from the banks and ATMs by the militants in the Kashmir Valley have increased. In the past three days itself, four such incidents of looting cash from the banks by the militants have occurred. In one such incident, militants have snatched away five SLR rifles from the police.

It could be thus believed that looting the banks could be the first step taken by the Pakistan sponsored terrorists to attack the State’s financial resources. Prior to this, the militants had attacked the schools, the colleges and the offices of the government in the Kashmir Valley. It is clearly evident from these attacks of the past ten months, that the educational and the administrative systems of the Kashmir Valley are the targets of attack of these Pakistan sponsored terrorists.

Going further, the militants now have started attacking the banks and ATMs in the Kashmir Valley. On Monday, the militants of ‘Hizbul Mujahideen’ attacked a ‘Cash Van’ which was on its way to deposit cash in an ATM in Kulgam. Seven people including five policemen were killed in this attack. While this incident was still fresh, the militants on Wednesday, attacked banks in two different places of Pulwama district and looted cash there. Inclusive of this attack in the last three days, the militants in Kashmir have looted cash from banks four times.

According to the information received from the police, a terrorist Umar Majid of ‘Hizbul Mujahideen’ is the mastermind behind the attack on the cash van in Shopian district. In this context, a reward of Rupees 10 lakhs has been announced by the police for giving information about Umar Majid. In this attack itself in Shopian, the terrorists have snatched away five SLR rifles from the police who were deployed for the security of the cash van.

Later, on Tuesday the militants robbed the Yaripora branch of ‘Ellaquai Dehati Bank’. After this, on Wednesday the militants attacked the Wahibugh branch of ‘Ellaquai Dehati Bank’ and looted cash worth rupees 3 to 4 lakhs. It has been said that the terrorists looted the bank at gunpoint and ran away.

After this, in another incident in Pulwama district, militants launched an attack on the Nehama branch of ‘Jammu-Kashmir Bank’. It is said that the investigations are still on to ascertain the amount looted by the militants in this attack which took place around 3:20 p.m. in the afternoon. On Wednesday within two hours, militants looted cash from two banks in the Kashmir Valley.

Earlier on Monday, the militants of ‘Hizbul Mujahideen’ had attacked the cash van of a bank in the Kulgam district. In this attack five police along with two guards were killed. The terrorists, it is said, have looted cash worth rupees 50 lakhs. After this incident, the Jammu-Kashmir police announced a reward of Rupees 10 lakh for information on the terrorist Umar Majid of ‘Hizbul Mujahideen’ who was involved in the Monday attack. Photographs of Majid have been put up all over Kulgam. Earlier the police had announced a reward of rupees 5 lakhs on information about Majid. However, now the reward amount has been increased.

Prior to the recent spate of attacks on the banks in the Kashmir Valley, militants had robbed a bank in the Anantnag region on the 28^thof April. One soldier was injured in this attack. While on the 19^thof April, 2 or 3 armed militants had attacked a bank in the Harmain region of the Shopian district and looted cash. Prior to the attacks on the banks, the militants in the Kashmir Valley had attacked ATM centers to rob cash. However, now the militants have started attacking the banks in the Kashmir Valley. This could be an attempt on the State’s economy. With this background, additional security measures are being taken for the State’s banking system.In the meanwhile, the militants have robbed the rifles of the five cops who were deployed for the security of the District Court in Shopian district. Nobody has been injured in this incident; while the sources inform that the local police have undertaken a campaign to search for these militants who robbed the rifles.