Doda encounter: Locals share chilling account of run-in with terror suspect

 July 18 (IANS) Members of a local family have shared chilling details of their brief run-in with a terror suspect on the night of July 15 when security forces in Jammu's Doda chased some terrorists into dense forests and later had an encounter, in which four soldiers including an Army officer lost their lives. "While I was sleeping inside my house, somebody started banging at my door. I assumed it was my father. But, when I opened the door, he was someone else. I quickly closed the door. I was terrified, my mother and children also got frightened. I called up my brother, who along with bhabhi (sister-in-law) quickly rushed to our help," a woman member of the family told IANS, recalling the frightening moments. "I didn’t have any word with the terror suspect but he was wearing a grey-colour T-shirt," she said. The woman's brother said that he challenged and punched the suspicious-looking man knocking at the house door following which he ran away into the nearby forests. "When I received a call from my sister about some suspicious man trying to break into the house at around 5 a.m., I quickly reached there. I saw a tall person standing at the door. When I asked his identity, he said that it was his house. I punched him in the face but he skirted my blow. When I picked up a stone to hit him, he ran into the forests," he said. Recalling the attire of the terror suspect, he said that the six-feet tall guy was donning a uniform, similar to the Army. He however didn’t wield any weapon when challenged by him. "Initially, I thought that he was a drug addict but the agility he showed in fleeing into the jungles proved that he was trained. I quickly called up my brother, who serves in the Army, following which a search operation was carried out in the village," he further said. He also said that a similar incident of knocking at the door was reported from the adjoining village. Notably, last month, terrorists involved in the Kathua attack went door-to-door asking for water in a village. The incident triggered suspicion among the locals. Some slammed the door on them while others raised hue and cry. This made the terrorists panicky, one of whom started firing. Following this, the security forces gunned down a terrorist and launched a hunt for the other, the next morning. --IANS mr/sha