KZF militants killed in U.P’s Pilibhit: Militants stayed in Bareilly for hrs using encrypted apps, says police

Mobile locations and internet activity retrieved from the device of one of the three Khalistan Zindabad Force militants, gunned down in a police encounter in Pilibhit’s Puranpur on December 23, have revealed key details about the movement of pro-Khalistan groups in Uttar Pradesh’s Terai region. The Pilibhit police have deployed a team to Bareilly to trace individuals who provided shelter and logistical support to the militants The Pilibhit police had sent three mobile phones recovered from the slain militants—Gurwinder Singh, 25, Virendra Singh alias Ravi, 23, and Jasan Preet Singh alias Pratap Singh, 18, all residents of Gurdaspur, Punjab—for forensic examination. “The phone’s location and net activity indicate that the militants stayed in Bareilly for several hours, where locals arranged their hotel stay and transport to Puranpur, Pilibhit,” a senior police official said. “We are trying to completely unearth the pro-Khalistan network in the Terai belt including Pilibhit, Bareilly, Lakhimpur Kheri, Shahjahanpur and Budaun districts,” a senior state police official said.