In a joint operation with security forces, J&K Police had arrested two LeT militants in Kulgam

New Delhi, July 6

The Kashmir Police succeeded in getting two local Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants surrender during a gunfight in Kulgam.

The parents of the local militants appealed to them after which the duo surrendered. 

This is one of the rarest incidents where militants have surrendered during a gunfight in south Kashmir.

The police are identifying the duo who had only joined militancy a week ago.

A joint team of J-K Police, Army and paramilitary forces cordoned off Hadigam village in Kulgam after inputs about the presence of militants in the village. As the joint team of forces were zeroing in on the target, the militants allegedly opened fire, leading to a gunfight.

The police said that during the course of the encounter, after they learnt that the militants were locals, they approached their families and brought them to the site to motivate the militants to surrender. The militants surrendered on the appeal of their parents, officials said. 

This has been the first incident in over a year that the militants have surrendered during an ongoing gunfight with the joint team of forces. 

The police also detected an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted at Pattan on the Baramulla- Srinagar national highway. The Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) defused the explosive device after cordoning off the area.