Kashmir: Militants loot second bank in 24-hours

In a second such incident in the past 24-hours, militants looted a bank in south Kashmir's Pulwama district on Wednesday.

A Police official said that three unidentified gunmen with their faces covered, believed to be militants, broke into a branch of Ellaquai Dehati Bank at Wahibugh, Pulwama, 32 kms from here, and took away cash from the counter. It is not immediately known how much cash the militants looted.

Reports said soon after the incident, security forces cordoned off the area. On Tuesday, militants had looted Rs 65,000 from the same bank's Kader branch in



neighbouring Shopian district. 

Prior to that on Monday, five policemen and two security guards were killed after militants attacked a cash van of Jammu and Kashmir Bank in Kulgam district. The militants took away five service rifles of the slain cops. However, there was no cash in the van at the time of the incident, as it had already been deposited at Manzgam branch of the bank.

Kashmir has witnessed a surge in bank looting cases ever since demonetization of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 8 last year.