Foreign tourists labelled `braid-choppers` rescued in J&K

Srinagar: A group of foreign tourists who were being threatened by a mob here on Sunday after being labelled "braid-choppers" were rescued, police said.

Police said a group of foreign tourists including three from Australia and one each from Britain, Ireland and South Korea were held up by some youth after they reached the city`s Rainawari.

"The group of foreign tourists were returning from the Ladakh region when a group of youth mistook them as braid choppers and held them up in Rainawari area. However, some locals tried to rescue the tourists and called police," said a police official, adding a police team reached the area immediately and rescued the group.

The Valley has been in the throes of a public outcry following mysterious incidents of braid chopping at over two dozen places during the last one month.

Police has, so far, not been able to arrest a single culprit in these mysterious occurrences and senior police officers say the people are not cooperating with them during the investigations of these cases.