Three militants of The Resistance Front (TRF), including the one involved in the recent killing of a non-local street hawker here, were killed in an overnight encounter with security forces in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Tuesday.

The security forces had launched a cordon and search operation in Tulran, Imamsahab area of Shopian, in South Kashmir on Monday evening, after receiving specific inputs about the presence of militants in the area, a police official said.

He said the search operation turned into an encounter after the militants fired upon the search party of the forces, who retaliated.

In the ensuing gunfight, three militants were killed, the official said.

The police said they belonged to TRF -- a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

"#ShopianEncounterUpdate: 03 #terrorists of LeT (TRF) killed. Identification being ascertained. #Incriminating materials including arms & ammunition recovered. Search going on. Further details shall follow," the Kashmir Zone Police wrote on its Twitter handle.

Kashmir IGP Vijay Kumar said one of the three militants was involved in the killing of non-local street hawker Virendra Paswan.

"#ShopianEncounterUpdate: Out of 03 killed #terrorists, one terrorist has been identified as Mukhtar Shah of #Ganderbal, who shifted to #Shopian after killing one street hawker Virendra Paswan of Bihar," the Kashmir Zone Police quoted the IGP as having said.

Paswan was shot dead in the Hawal area of the city on October 5 immediately after famous chemist M L Bindroo was killed near his pharmacy.

Militants also killed Mohammad Shafi Lone, president of a local taxi stand in Naidkhai area of Bandipora district that day.