Srinagar: Police fired teargas shells and used batons to rescue three of their colleagues who were caught by an angry mob after mistaking them for thieves in Ganderbal district of central Kashmir on Saturday. Three undercover cops including a Special Police Officer (SPO) were caught by an agitating locals, who mistook them as thieves at a village in Gund, 40 kms from here, on Srinagar-Sonamarg national highway, the officials said.
The cops had been deputed by an officer investigating spurt in cases of burglary in Gund but despite revealing their identity, the angry mob did not pay heed to repeated requests to release them. They thrashed the undercover cops, accusing them of being behind the burglaries in the village and staged a demonstration on the highway demanding stern action against them, the officials said.
Police resorted to teargas shelling and used batons to disperse the protesters and rescued the cops.
All the three policemen were rescued and shifted to a local hospital, the officials said.
Senior officers of Civil Administration rushed to the village to pacify the agitating villagers, the officials said adding the meeting between the locals and officials was going on.
PTI