DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Police claimed to have killed a militant and arrested three others during an encounter here on Sunday.

Police also recovered six hand grenades, four pistols and hundreds of rounds from the possession of the arrested militants.

Officials said that police got information about the presence of suspected men in the sugar cane fields in Zamirabad area. Police reached the area and challenged the suspects but they opened firing on the law enforcers, they added.

Officials said that police retaliated and the encounter continued for four hours. A militant identified as Roshan Mahsud was killed in the encounter while his three accomplices were arrested, they said.

ASP Sadar Sadiq Baloch produced the arrested persons before the media after the encounter. He said that the killed militant was wanted by police in Dera jailbreak incident, kidnappingsand extortion cases.

The arrested persons were identified as Sakhi Jan Mehsud, Ashig Jamal Mehsud and Sher Gul Dotani.

The IGP announced cash awards and commendation certificates for the policemen who took part in the encounter.

In Peshawar, a police van was partially damaged in a blast on Mashogagar Road in the limits of Badhber police station on Sunday evening.

Officials said that the police van was patrolling the area when a roadside bomb went off. The van was partially damaged, however, policemen in the vehicle remained unhurt, they said.

In Bajaur Agency, security forces defused three remote controlled explosive devices in different areas of the tribal region.

An official said that a search operation was launched by security forces and peace committees in Mala Said area of tehsil Salarzai, Charmang area of tehsil Nawagai and Inayat Kallay area of tehsil Khar after receiving information from local people about presence of suspicious devices.

He said that three remote controlled explosive devices were recovered during the search operation.