A Village Defence Guard (VDG) member was killed in a gunfight with terrorists in a remote village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district on Sunday, officials said.

The exchange of fire occurred in Panara village of Basantgarh around 7:45 am when a patrolling party of police and VDGs encountered the suspected terrorists.

Mohd Sharief, a VDG member from Khaned, was critically injured in the firing and later succumbed to his injuries.

A massive search operation is underway to flush out the terrorists, who are believed to have recently infiltrated from Pakistan.

According to official sources, there was information about the movement of two separate groups of terrorists who infiltrated recently from Kathua to Basantgarh.

One group, comprising five members, was confronted, while the other group, consisting of four members, is believed to be moving through the Machedi top area bordering Kathua.

The Army has airdropped Special Forces in the forest area, and a massive search operation is underway to track and neutralize the terrorists.