Terrorists killed three people and maimed six in Jammu and Kashmir Friday for allegedly assisting the security forces, polices said.
Police said terrorists descended on Banihad village, 180 km north of this winter capital and slit the throats of three women after charging them with being informers for the security forces.
They then rounded up six people, including a young boy, and slashed their noses, saying they too had cooperated with the security forces.
This is the first time terrorists in Kashmir have resorted to such an act.
Police suspect the perpetrators to be Al-Badr cadres.
In the Kashmir countryside, the nose is considered a badge of honour and the maiming has left the victims with a social stigma, apart from having to bear the pain of the gruesome act.
An army picket in the area had been
withdrawn two weeks ago and the terrorists walked in to the village with
impunity.