"LeT Chief Commander Abu Dujana of Pakistan along with his accomplice, Arif Lelhari, were killed this [Tuesday] morning in a gunfight in Hakripora Pulwama. It is a huge achievement," police spokesman Manoj Pandita told the media.

The Indian government had placed on Dujana's head a bounty of $23,000.

According to police, Dujana had earlier managed to escape five times when the Indian forces closed in on him.

Sources in police department said that they had specific information about the presence of Dujana and Lelhari, and that the forces surrounded the village around 4 a.m. local time on Tuesday (2230GMT Monday) and the gunfight ended with the killing of both militants.

Soon after the killing, the Indian government shut down all internet services in the region. As soon as the news of Dujana's killing spread, civilian protesters took to the streets in anti-India demonstrations across the region, and clashed with Indian forces, raising slogans for independence.