Encounter in J&K: Soldier killed, 3 terrorists trapped
(You can now subscribe to our
(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel
The Army on Thursday said that one soldier was killed and another injured in an ongoing operation in Chatru area of Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir.Jammu-based White Knight Corps of the Indian Army informed that contact was established with the infiltrators in the forest area of Singhpora of Chatru on Thursday morning and the operation continued till late evening. The officials said two to three infiltrators were trapped in the cordon the armed forces had laid in the forest area between Shari and Mandral Dhok. "Additional troops have been inducted, and operations are ongoing to neutralise the terrorists," read the official statement of the White Knight Corps.After a few hours of the operation, they said fierce gunfight was continuing. "One of our bravehearts sustained grievous injuries in the exchange of fire and has succumbed despite best medical efforts. Operation is in progress," they said. The officials informed that another army man was also injured in the initial exchange of fire.On April 12, three foreign infiltrators were killed in the same area and the army informed that an AK rifle, an M4 Rifle and other equipment were recovered from the spot. The officials claimed that a top Jaish-e-Muhammad commander was killed in that encounter."We had recovered seven backpacks from the encounter spot and three were killed on April 12. It seems that this group is part of that larger group whose backpacks we had recovered. We have been following the leads regarding this group since then," a senior army official said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
12 hours ago
- Time of India
Was Pedro Hernandez innocent? Convicted killer with 70 IQ may walk free as court cites critical trial error in Etan Patz case
Live Events New trial ordered How did Pedro Hernandez become a suspect decades later? A trial without a body or forensic evidence Was the wrong man convicted? What happens next? (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel A case that haunted New York for decades and helped launch the missing children's movement is now facing a dramatic legal reversal. A federal appeals court has overturned the conviction of Pedro Hernandez , the man found guilty in 2017 for the 1979 abduction and murder of 6-year-old Etan Patz The court ruled that the trial judge gave flawed instructions to the jury about how to evaluate Hernandez's confession. Hernandez, who has a low IQ and a history of mental illness, had confessed after nearly seven hours of police interrogation, before being read his Miranda rights That confession, which was repeated on tape but unsupported by physical evidence, was the cornerstone of the prosecution's case. Etan vanished while walking alone to his school bus stop for the first time, an event that shocked the nation and led to widespread changes in how missing children's cases were earlier focus on another suspect, a convicted child molester, the case shifted in 2012 when Hernandez's brother-in-law told police that Hernandez had spoken for years about harming a defense lawyers have long argued that his statements were coerced and rooted in delusion, raising troubling questions about whether the wrong man has spent nearly a decade behind 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned Hernandez's 2017 conviction, citing a critical error by the trial judge regarding jury instructions. The court found that the judge gave misleading guidance when jurors asked how to evaluate Hernandez's confessions, especially the first one, made before Miranda rights were court concluded the instruction was 'clearly wrong' and 'manifestly prejudicial,' significantly affecting the fairness of the trial. The ruling states Hernandez must be retried or freed 'within a reasonable time.'Etan Patz vanished on May 25, 1979, the first day he was allowed to walk alone to his school bus stop in Manhattan's SoHo Pedro Hernandez, then an 18-year-old stock clerk at a nearby convenience store, didn't become a suspect until 2012, over 30 years later, when a relative called police. Hernandez had allegedly told people at church and in his family that he had harmed a boy in New confessed after seven hours of police interrogation, saying he lured Etan into the basement of the store with a soda, then choked him and disposed of his body. That confession was later repeated on video after police read him his having very little physical evidence, forensic links, or a clear motive, prosecutors relied entirely on Hernandez's first trial ended in a hung jury in 2015. A second trial in 2017 led to a conviction and a sentence of 25 years to attorney, Harvey Fishbein, has long argued that his client's confession was false and coerced. Hernandez suffers from schizotypal personality disorder, has an IQ of around 70, and was described as mentally claims Hernandez was suggestible and may have internalized a fantasy or delusion during hours of had no prior criminal record, and many still question why he would confess to a crime he didn't commit. Critics of the case highlight José Ramos, a convicted child molester who remained the prime suspect in Etan Patz's disappearance for had ties to Etan's babysitter and, according to former federal prosecutor Stuart GraBois, once claimed he was '90 percent sure' he had brought the boy (Etan) to his apartment the day he also admitted to meeting a child matching Etan's description in Washington Square Park, and investigators later found photographs of blond boys resembling Etan in a drainpipe at Ramos's former despite these suspicious findings, Ramos was never criminally charged due to a lack of direct evidence, no body, no eyewitnesses, no forensic link, and ambiguity in his Etan's family did win a symbolic civil judgment against him in 2004, and the case remained unresolved until Hernandez's confession in Manhattan District Attorney's Office said it is 'reviewing the decision.'Unless prosecutors decide to retry the case soon, Hernandez could walk free for the first time in over a decade.
Time of India
18 hours ago
- Time of India
7/11 Mumbai train blasts: Who are the 12 accused acquitted by Bombay HC after 18 years in prison?
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The 12 persons, acquitted in the July 11, 2006 train blasts case , were charged of being members of the banned Students' Islamic Movement of India SIMI ).The Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) had alleged that some of the accused had received training in terror camps in Pakistan The roles of the accused are as follows:1) Kamal Ahmed Ansari: Died in 2021 pending hearing of the appeal at the age of 50. Ansari was a resident of Madhubani district in Bihar and was accused of receiving arms training in Pakistan. He was also accused of planting the bomb that exploded at Matunga.2) Mohammed Faisal Rahman Shaikh: The 50-year-old accused from Mira Road in neighbouring Thane district was accused of being one of the main conspirators. As per the prosecution, he had obtained money from Pakistan, assembled bombs and planted one of them in a train.3) Ehtesham Siddiqui: Aged 42, Siddiqui was accused of carrying out a recce of the trains and planting the bomb that went off at Mira-Bhayandar.4) Naveed Hussain Khan Rasheed: Aged 44, Rasheed, a call centre employee at the time, was accused of assembling bombs and planting one that exploded in a train at Bandra. He was a resident of Secunderabad and was arrested from there.5) Asif Khan Bashir Khan: The 52-year-old was accused of helping assemble the bombs and planting one that exploded at Borivali. A civil engineer, Khan was a resident of Jalgaon and accused of being a key member of of accused who were sentenced to life imprisonment:1) Tanveer Ahmed Ansari: Resident of Agripada in Mumbai, the 50-year-old was convicted for attending terror camps in Pakistan and also conducting a recce of the trains.2) Mohammed Shafi: Aged 46, Shafi was accused of running a hawala racket and procuring money from Pakistan for the blasts.3) Shaikh Mohammed Ali Alam: The 55-year-old was charged with assembling bombs at his house in suburban Govandi with the help of Pakistanis who had sneaked into India. He was also accused of being a member of SIMI.4) Mohammed Sajid Ansari: The 47-year-old resident of Mira Road was accused of procuring timers for the bombs and helping assemble them. He was also accused of harbouring two Pakistani nationals.5) Muzammil Rahman Shaikh: The 40-year-old youngest accused in the case, a software engineer, was accused of getting trained in Pakistan and also conducting recce of the local brothers - Faisal and Raahil - are also accused in the case but were never caught. They were allegedly the main planners of the conspiracy.6) Suhail Mehmood Shaikh: Aged 55, Shaikh was accused of having taken arms training in Pakistan and also carrying out a recce of the trains to be targeted.7) Zameer Rehman Shaikh: The 50-year-old was accused of attending conspiracy meetings and also receiving training in Pakistan.
Time of India
21 hours ago
- Time of India
Punjab Police steps up vigil: Mann government deploys anti-drone measures to curb cross-border smuggling
Mann government deploys anti-drone measures to curb cross-border smuggling in Punjab CHANDIGARH: Pakistan has long used drones to smuggle contraband, including heroin, arms, and explosives, into Punjab. In response, the Punjab Police has begun deploying advanced anti-drone technology in a bid to eliminate cross-border drug and arms trafficking. Official data suggests that drone intrusions have reduced significantly in recent years. According to data shared by the state government, drone seizures have risen sharply since 2022. While just 2 drones were intercepted in 2019, 7 in 2020, and 1 in 2021, the numbers spiked following the Aam Aadmi Party's government in Punjab. Punjab Police seized 28 drones in 2022, 121 in 2023, and a record 294 in 2024. As of July 15, 2025, 138 drones have been recovered this year, taking the total to 591 since 2022. Police have also arrested over 22,000 individuals under the state's 'War Against Drugs' campaign. The scale of contraband dropped via drones also remains a major concern. Recoveries so far include 932 kg of heroin, 263 pistols, 14 AK-47 rifles, 66 hand grenades, and nearly 15 kg of RDX. According to state officials, a layered surveillance system has been established in 596 border villages, which includes networks of local residents, retired soldiers, and police personnel tasked with 24/7 monitoring. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Up to 70% off | Shop Sale Libas Undo The villages have been digitally mapped into three categories, with records of road layouts, suspect lists, and area-specific security requirements. Police officers now log activities using "beat books", and protection teams across villages are connected through WhatsApp. Authorities say the system ensures that security is embedded at the grassroots level rather than being limited to police stations. Punjab government has allocated ₹51 crore for the procurement of nine advanced anti-drone systems. Joint efforts by the Border Security Force (BSF) and Punjab Police now involve technology-based tracking, forensic analysis, and communication surveillance to intercept drones. The AAP-led Punjab government said in a statement,' Whether it's drones, drugs, terrorism, or smuggling, no one will be spared. This is not just a matter of state security; it's about national safety, and the Punjab government is addressing it with full force.' Officials say districts such as Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Firozpur, and Fazilka were previously known for frequent drone activity, are now witnessing stronger border control.
