Anantnag ambush: Lashkar 'perpetrators' will be tracked down very soon, says J&K DGP

The perpetrators of the ambush in which six policemen were killed would "face the law" very soon, Jammu and Kashmir DGP S P Vaid said here today and announced a bounty of Rs 10 lakh for LeT commander Bashir Lashkari who is believed to have orchestrated the attack.

The militants fired at the policemen killed yesterday in an ambush in Achabal in Anantnag district by suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba militants, at close range, "shattering" their faces, the director general of police said. "As per my information, they have come closer and fired from a closer range and that is why there was shattering of the face," Vaid said when asked whether the bodies were mutilated by militants. Speaking to reporters after paying floral tributes to the mortal remains of Constable Tasveer Ahmad, one of those killed, he said perpetrators would be brought to book.

"They will face the law and very soon you will see the results." Several high-ranking civil, police and security force officers, including Chief Secretary B B Vyas, and jawans paid tributes to the slain constable at DPL Srinagar. However, no politician was present there on the occasion. The DGP said the attackers had been identified and would be tracked down very soon.

"This unfortunate incident has been committed by the LeT group led by Bashir Lashkari and we will track him down and see that justice is done," he said. He also announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for any information leading to the capture or killing of Lashkari. Asked why the policemen were travelling in a non- bulletproof vehicle, the state's top cop said, "We are taking steps."

The DGP also described the killing of LeT commander Junaid Matto, who was killed in an encounter along with two other militants in Arwani yesterday, as a blow to the outfit. Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Muneer Khan said the killing of six policemen was a setback for the force. "It is a setback for us, but we will overcome that," he said.