Hunger pangs faced by a group of four foreign terrorists on Wednesday brought them on the radar of the joint team of security forces, which gunned them down after a fierce nine-hour-long operation in Sunderbani area of Rajouri district.

Before infiltrating inside the Indian territory, these terrorists may have received commando training to sustain themselves, but when it came to beating hunger pangs they failed miserably.

The preliminary investigations have revealed that the security forces received first tipoff about their presence only when these terrorists broadcasted a message to their handlers across the Line of Control that they are running out of food stock. What do we do next? In response, the handlers directed them to go ahead with their mission.

While waiting for the right opportunity to strike these terrorists who ran out of their food and energy supplements to sustain themselves.

Unable to negotiate hunger, these foreign terrorists failed in their mission to target any one of the vital security installations in the area. After intercepting the message, the security forces were alerted in the area. A general alert was also sounded to prevent any terror strike.

One of these terrorists on Sunday evening reportedly barged inside the house of local resident Bhushan Kumar in Sunderbani area begging for food. “First he (foreign terrorist) asked for cold drink, when I denied having the same at my place, he asked for food for a group of six men,” Bhushan Kumar told local police in Sunderbani.

“After I handed over a few chappatis, along with some rice and vegetable, he again told me it was insufficient quantity,” said Bhushan, adding, “I told him we have not cooked fresh food for the evening. I can only provide you with leftover food items available in the kitchen.”

Next day on Monday, these terrorists were spotted in a busy market area of Sunderbani. According to local shopkeepers in the area, they purchased “barfi” and some other snacks from a local sweet corner. The terrorists also visited another shopkeeper in the area to purchase biscuits and cigarettes.

At all these places the terrorists posed as BSF jawans and offered Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 denomination currency notes to local shopkeepers.

On Tuesday, looking for food, they once again visited two local shopkeepers and

purchased eatables, cigarettes and juice.

After this they ran out of their luck. Local shopkeepers suspected them that they were faking their identity and reported their presence to the local police.

After receiving inputs from these local residents/shopkeepers, the joint teams of security forces launched massive combing and search operations in the area.

On Wednesday morning, while the Army patrol was moving in the thickly-forested area close to the BSF camp, the terrorists opened heavy fire on them. The area was cordoned off and all four of them were neutralised in a nine-hour long operation.

Courtesy: The Pioneer, Friday, 30 March 2018 | Mohit Kandhari | Jammu