India, April 1 -- The Uttarakhand Police have intensified the search for four absconding accused in the killing of a retired Army brigadier in Dehradun earlier this week, even as a wider crackdown, named 'Operation Prahar', was launched in the state capital following the incident, officials said.

Seven police teams are working to trace the accused, SP City Pramod Kumar said on Tuesday. "We are close to arresting the absconding accused," SSP Pramendra Dobhal added. The police have so far arrested four persons from both groups in connection with the incident.

The crackdown was initiated after the killing of 74-year-old retired Brigadier MK Joshi, who served in the Corps of Military Intelligence. He was on his routine morning walk near Joh...