Foreign tourists labelled braid-choppers rescued in J&K

Srinagar Oct 8 (IANS) A group of foreign tourists who were being threatened by a mob here on Sunday after being labelled "braid-choppers" were rescued police said.

Police said a group of foreign tourists including three from Australia and one each from Britain Ireland and South Korea were held up by some youth after they reached the city s Rainawari.

"The group of foreign tourists were returning from the Ladakh region when a group of youth mistook them as braid choppers and held them up in Rainawari area. However some locals tried to rescue the tourists and called police " said a police official adding a police team reached the area immediately and rescued the group.

The Valley has been in the throes of a public outcry following mysterious incidents of braid chopping at over two dozen places during the last one month.

Police has so far not been able to arrest a single culprit in these mysterious occurrences and senior police officers say the people are not cooperating with them during the investigations of these cases.

--IANS
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