The Shopian Police, 62 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), 3 RR and the 14th Battalion of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) are conducting the search operations. (Photo: File/Representational)

Srinagar: The security forces on Saturday morning launched a massive search operation in Shopian, covering, at least, ten villages of the militancy infected southern district of Jammu and Kashmir.

The official sources said the troops from the Army’s 62 Rashtriya Rifles along with Jammu and Kashmir police’s counter-insurgency Special Operations Group (SOG) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)’s 14th Battalion moved in the villages of Mantri Bug, Zaipora, Chakoora, Pratab Pora, Rani Pora, Taki Pora, Dangan and Wangam at dawn.

Soon they began house-to-house searches and also set up makeshift posts for identification of the residents.

The sources said the cordon-and-search operation was launched following intelligence inputs about the presence of militants in the area.

“In fact, we had received reports about the presence of militants in a few villages of Shopian but in order to ensure they do not escape into the neighbouring villages we decided to lay siege around ten villages before beginning the operation,” a police official from Shopian said over phone who wished not to be name.