Security forces busts major underground terrorist hideout in J&K's Rajouri

Security forces Tuesday busted a major underground terrorist hideout in the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, recovering a large quantity of daily use items and some ammunition, officials said.

The well-build hideout was unearthed during a cordon and search operation by a joint party of police, Army and CRPF at Sagrawat forest in the Darhal area of the border district, the officials said.

A police spokesman said the underground hideout was covered with soil for camouflage.

He said the search of the hideout led to the recovery of four cooking gas cylinders, six empty AK rifle magazines, one pistol magazine with 13 bullets, one INSAS rifle magazine with 19 rounds, one communication set, one solar light with plate, one pair of hand gloves and wheat flour.

Other items seized from the hideout included dry fruits, five and two litres capacity cookers, 30 pencil cells, two blankets, three bags, 40 litre water can, three power banks, one data cable, one adaptor, pair of shoes, one wire cutter, one screwdriver, one tiffin, one body warmer set, six hand grips, two torches, one pack of washing powder, some milk powder packets and other eatables, the spokesman said.

However, officials said no one was arrested during the ongoing operation as the terrorists using the hideout managed to escape before the start of the search operation.

They said security forces also busted a cave-type hideout in the Balotha area of Basantgarh in Udhampur district during an ongoing anti-terrorist operation.

Some food items were recovered from the abandoned hideout, the officials said.

The search operation in Basantgarh was intensified on Monday after terrorists opened fire on a joint patrol party of CRPF and police, killing an inspector-rank officer of the paramilitary force.