Noida: On Sunday at about 2.15 am, in a encounter, 2 suspected terrorists on their way to Delhi from Ghaziabad were intercepted and killed in Noida’s sector 97.

In a combined encounter, the Uttar Pradesh police and the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), which intercepted the terrorists near the Noida expressway, gunned them down. A constable of the UP ATS was also injured in the encounter.

“ATS was following a terrorist module for one and half months. Yesterday, ATS received information that two suspects with AK-47s have been seen in Lal Kuan, Ghaziabad on their way to Delhi,” said Brij Lall ADG, UP police.

The terrorists had come in a Maruti 800 car and the police have found 2 AK-47s, 2 hand grenades and a bag from the car.

“Two AK-47 rifles, four magazines, 120 live bullets, five hand grenades, detonators, nine RDX shells, a Maruti 800 car, Pakistani passports, some documents and Rs 18,000 were recovered from the terrorists,” the ADG added.

The police have confirmed that the terrorists were Pakistani, after a Pakistani passport was found in the vehicle. The second man supposedly confirmed their individuality after being captured just before dying.

“Both militants were injured and taken to hospital. One of the injured terrorists said he is Farooq from Akara in Pakistan, and he named the other terrorist as Abu Ismail of Rawalkote in Pakistan. Both of them died on way to hospital,” ADG Lall said.

The encounter comes just ahead of Republic Day when security is at an extraordinary high around the National Capital Region.

In the meantime, a bomb disposal squad has been posted at the spot of the encounter to defuse grenades.

24x7newswire has learnt that the UP police and the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) had been functioning strongly over the last month tracking the case after they received a tip-off from intelligence sources.

According to Home Ministry sources, the Intelligence Bureau and the UP police were acting in close collaboration.