The homes of the two men, suspected to be among the Pahalgam attackers, were “demolished using explosives” during the night in south Kashmir.
While Asif Ahmad Sheikh’s house was demolished at Mongaham in south Kashmir’s Tral, Adil Ahmad Thoker’s house at Gurre village in south Kashmir’s Bijbehara was also blown up on the night of April 24-25.
Villagers said the houses were “demolished using explosives”. Police are yet to comment on the development.
On Thursday, J&K Police had released the names of three suspects who targeted tourists at Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam in south Kashmir, killing 25 tourists and a local pony-wallah.
Apart from two Pakistan nationals, Thoker’s sketch figured among the three. A resident of south Kashmir, Thoker had gone to Pakistan on a visa in 2018 and returned to Kashmir Valley last year, police sources say.
Police had said they suspect the involvement of a fourth attacker.
Asif’s relatives confirmed that security personnel had “blasted” their house. One of the relatives claimed the house belonged to three families, and Asif’s “had only two rooms in it”.
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Another family member said security personnel asked them to vacate the residence and head to another house nearby before carrying out the demolition.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd