Security personnel at the encounter site at the Nagrota toll plaza, where militants travelling in a truck opened fire at a police team.
Ranjit Thakur
Ban Toll Plaza (Jammu),
January 31
Mustering courage and showing alertness amid the encounter between the security forces and militants at the Ban toll plaza on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, an ex-serviceman, Kewal Sharma, on Friday helped securitymen capture one of the suspects who was allegedly involved in ferrying militants to Kashmir in a truck.
Sharma, who is working in a private security agency in one of Nandani tunnels, showed a great presence of mind while engaging the suspect.
“I came to know about the terror attack at around 5.40 am at the Ban toll plaza, and alerted other security persons in the tunnel about this. Within a few minutes, a man was seen walking under suspicious circumstances. When I stopped him, he started inquiring about the route to Kashmir and Udhampur. I misled him and engaged him in talk by offering him water and tea.”
“He was in panic, but there was no weapon with him. He was speaking both local and Punjabi language. I felt something fishy about him and informed the tunnel supervisor who, in turn, informed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the police. Then, he was taken into custody,” Sharma said.
“We trapped him in tunnel number 2. We also checked his smart phone, but found his pictures, probably from Punjab or Rajasthan with the truck. However, in which truck he was travelling, we are not aware.”