Two locals taken into custody revealed that the trio reached Pilibhit with the help of a bus operator who runs a daily bus service from Lakhimpur Kheri to Amritsar

Following the encounter of three Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) terrorists in Pilibhit, security agencies are intensifying their search for their local helpers in the Terai region.

Pilibhit: Three Khalistani terrorists, who were accused of launching a grenade attack at a police checkpoint in Punjab 's Gurdaspur, were gunned down in a police encounter in Uttar Pradesh, police said on Monday. The encounter broke out in Puranpur Police Station area in Pilibhit district last night.

In a major anti-terror operation, three militants belonging to the Khalistani Commando Force were gunned down in a joint operation by Punjab and Uttar Pradesh police in Pilibhit’s Puranpur area early Monday morning.

Two AK-47 assault rifles and two Glock pistols along with a huge cache of ammunition were recovered from the terrorists.

The police said they had received input about the suspicious movement of some Khalistani terrorists in the region. Acting upon the information, the police team tried to nab them but they started firing at the cops which triggered the encounter.

Punjab and Uttar Pradesh police conducted a joint operation, resulting in the deaths of three alleged Khalistan Zindabad Force operatives. The men's families contested the encounter, questioning their involvement and circumstances,

The trio, part of the Pak-sponsored terror module of Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF), was hiding in Pilibhit after their involvement surfaced in a grenade attack