Srinagar, December 09: Three militants were killed and a civilian injured in an Encounter in Tiken area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

A police spokesman said that the joint cordon-and-search-operation was launched Police, army’s 55RR and CRPF’s 182 and 183 battalions in Tiken area of the district on a specific input regarding presence of militants.

“During the search operation, as the presence of (militants) got ascertained they were given opportunity to surrender, however, they fired indiscriminately upon the joint search party which was retaliated leading to an encounter,” the spokesman said, adding, “Zamir Sadiq Lone in whose house the (militants) were hiding also received gunshot injuries and was evacuated to hospital for the treatment of his injuries where his condition is stated to be stable.”

In the ensuing encounter, three militants were killed and their bodies retrieved from the site of encounter.

They were affiliated with Al-Badr militant outfit and have been identified as Mehraj-ud-Din Lone of Arigam Pulwama, Umer Ali of Dadsara Tral and Umar Farooq of Sugan Shopian, the spokesman said.

“As per police records, (they) were part of groups involved in many (militant) cases including planning and executing several major attacks on security forces,” the spokesman said without elaborating.

He said incriminating materials including arms and ammunition were recovered from the site of encounter. “All the recovered materials have been taken into case records for further investigation and to probe their complicity in other (militant) crimes.

The spokesman said that keeping in view the prevailing pandemic and to ensure the safety of people from inherent risk of contracting the infection, the bodies were sent to Baramulla for their burial after completion of medico-legal formalities