This is the third killing of a person from outside Jammu and Kashmir in three days (Representational)

Highlights Charanjeet Singh was shot dead and his friend was critically injured

This is the third killing of a person from outside the state in 3 days

Sources say terrorists are targeting labourers from other states

An apple trader from Punjab was shot dead by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian today, making it the third killing of a person from outside the state in three days.

Charanjeet Singh, 40, was shot dead and his friend Sanjay Churaya was hit by bullets in Shopian's Trenz area this evening, and is critical.

They were rushed to the Pulwama district hospital and later referred to a super speciality hospital in Srinagar. The injured man is under treatment; he will undergo surgery for a bullet wound to his chest.

Earlier today, a labourer from Chhattisgarh was killed in Pulwama. Sources said the terrorists have been targeting labourers, who have come to Jammu and Kashmir from outside the state, to create fear among them and disrupt trade.

Sethi Kumar Sagar, a resident of Besoli in of Chhattisgarh, worked at a brick kiln, news agency Press Trust of India reported. He was walking with another civilian when two terrorists shot him dead, Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh said.

On Monday, a man from Rajasthan who was driving a truck from an orchard was shot dead. Police say the terrorists are acting in desperation as transportation of fruit has picked up in Kashmir valley.

Post-paid mobile communication that was blocked since August 5, when the centre announced its two big decisions - the scrapping of special status to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution and the state's bifurcation into two union territories - was restored.

Last week, seven people were injured in Kashmir's Srinagar after a grenade attack by terrorists in a market area. The attack had come days after terrorists had thrown a grenade in south Kashmir's Anantnag, injuring 14.