JAMMU, Aug 11: Indian police hunted down and killed a suspected Kashmiri militant believed to be the mastermind of a 2005 attack on a disputed holy shrine, police said on Saturday.

Acting on a tip-off, police cornered the man, identified as Saifullah Karri, and killed him before dawn on Saturday, said occupied Jammu Inspector General of Police S.P. Vaid.

He said Karri was a leader of the Jaish-i-Muhammed Islamic group and a mastermind of the attack where a suicide bomber blew himself up in a jeep, tearing a hole in railings surrounding the Hindu shrine in Ayodhya.

Five gunmen then burst through the hole, getting to within 15 metres of its inner sanctum before being killed by guards in a fierce gunbattle.

Mr Vaid said four other Jaish members were arrested in the raid, including one who was injured in the shootout. One policeman was also wounded.—AP