Two days before terrorists opened fire at a CRPF checkpoint in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district, a young boy walked up to the same post and issued a warning to the personnel stationed there: "We will not spare you."The personnel did not take the threat seriously at the time. But after Wednesday's attack left three jawans injured, police are now trying to identify and trace the boy, sources said.According to the sources in Kulgam, the boy, believed to be a Class 10 student, approached the static checkpoint on Monday and told the CRPF personnel, "Hum tumhe chhodenge nahi" (We will not spare you).While the personnel initially dismissed the warning, the incident has come under scanner following the attack on the same post.

Police are now trying to establish the boy's identity and ascertain whether his threat had any connection with Wednesday's firing. On Wednesday, two heavily armed terrorists emerged from a dense cluster of trees and opened fire at the CRPF post near Mir Bazar in Kulgam district around 2.15 pm, injuring three personnel, one of them critically.The checkpoint is located around 75 km from Srinagar and barely a kilometre from the strategic Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.SECURITY AGENCIES PROBE SUSPECTED LeT LINK While the identity of the attackers has not been officially confirmed, security agencies suspect the involvement of Mohammed Lateef Bhat, a local commander of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit who had earlier escaped a security operation in Shopian in July.Initial reports suggested that the terrorists had arrived on a motorcycle.

However, ground verification during joint search operations by the Army and other security agencies established that no two-wheeler was involved.According to officials, the two attackers approached the post on foot from a forested patch about 50 metres away. While one opened fire, the other provided cover.

They then fled towards Naupur, disappearing into the same stretch of trees."The area has dense vegetation resembling a small forest, which the terrorists used as cover before and after the attack," an official said. A Motorola mobile phone and a SIM card have been recovered from the area.

Investigators are also scanning CCTV footage from nearby commercial establishments to reconstruct the movement of the attackers.The three injured personnel were rushed to a hospital in neighbouring Anantnag district, around 22 km from the attack site. One CRPF jawan sustained severe abdominal injuries, while the other two suffered relatively minor injuries, including bullet wounds to the arm, leg and foot.CRPF PERSONNEL RETALIATED DESPITE INJURIESAccording to a CRPF source, despite being caught by surprise and sustaining injuries, all three CRPF personnel retaliated and chased the attackers.Their prompt response prevented the terrorists from inflicting casualties and damage on a larger scale, forcing them to retreat without achieving their intended objectives, the source said.Police and security force personnel had been deployed at the checkpoint in view of intelligence inputs regarding suspected movement of terrorists in the area, the source added.Security forces have cordoned off the region and launched a massive search operation to track down the attackers.

Additional barricades have been erected, armoured vehicles deployed and announcements made over loudspeakers asking residents to remain indoors.Security officials said the attack reflected the growing frustration among terror outfits operating in the region, which were finding it increasingly difficult to strike due to heightened alertness and area domination by security forces.Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha was visiting Kulgam district on Wednesday, although he was not near the site of the attack.Kulgam has witnessed several security-related incidents in recent months, including the killing of two labourers from Chhattisgarh at a brick kiln on July 31 and the shooting of a police constable in neighbouring Anantnag earlier in the same month.The attack also triggered political reactions, with former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah questioning the administration's claims of normalcy in the Union Territory.The National Conference president wished the injured CRPF personnel a speedy recovery and said the Lieutenant Governor-led administration, which is responsible for law and order, must be held accountable for recurring incidents of violence despite official claims that terrorism had been eradicated.PDP president Mehbooba Mufti also condemned the attack and wished the injured personnel a speedy recovery."JKPDP President Ms. @MehboobaMufti strongly condemns the attack on CRPF personnel in Kulgam. Such acts of violence are unacceptable and deserve unequivocal condemnation," PDP posted on its X handle."There can be no place for violence in a society that yearns for lasting peace, stability and dignity," the post added. - Ends