MASROOR AHMAD
SRINAGAR: Three persons involved in an attack on a policeman in Bemina area of Srinagar have been arrested, officials said.
Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, the Director General of Police RR Swain said that the trio has confessed to their involvement in the attack, which was carried at the behest of their Pakistan-based handler.
A policeman, identified as Mohd Hafeez Chak was fired at by the terrorists in Hamdaniya Colony locality of Bemina, on December 9.
Chak was injured in the attack following which he was shifted to the nearby SKIMS Bemina and later referred to Army Base Hospital in Badami Bagh.
“Accordingly, Case FIR No. 112/2023 under Section 307 IPC, 7/27 A. Act, 16, 18, 38 UAP Act, 120-B IPC was registered in P/S Bemina. During the course of investigation, based on inputs subsequently corroborated by technical evidences, few suspects were zeroed in and upon their sustained questioning they confessed to their involvement in the said attack,” Swain told reporters.
He said the accused, Imtiyaz Ahmad Khanday, son of Tariq Ahmad Khanday, resident of Hamdaniya Colony Sector-A; Danish Ahmad Mala, son of Gh Mohd Malla, resident of Hamdaniya Colony Sector- A and Mehnan Khan alias Mehran, son of Mehraj Din Khan, resident of Khawajapora Rainawari Srinagar were arrested in the instant case.
“Weapon of offence and huge cache of arms and ammunition have been recovered on their specific disclosures,” he said.
The recoveries from Imtiyaz Ahmad Khanday include a Canik TP09 Pistol of Turkish make, 1 magazine and one round 9mm (weapon of offence). One Canik TP09 Pistol of Turkish make, 1 magazine, 7 rounds (Bullets) 9mm were recovered from Mehnan Khan and 57 Rounds of 9mm and 2 magazines were recovered from Danish Malla.
“They further disclosed that they were in touch with one PoK based handler alias Hamza Burhan, who along with these three accused persons hatched a conspiracy to target a police personal in Srinagar City in furtherance of which Danish along with Imtiyaz identified a target and executed their plan on December 9, 2023. Further, arms and ammunition were illegally trafficked from across for this attack,” he said.
The J&K police chief said that during the course of investigation, it came to fore that the arrested trio had prepared a long list of policemen to be targeted.
“There were others on the list as well but the majority of targets were policemen,” he said.
Asked whether it was for the first time that Turkey-made pistols were recovered, the DGP said that in the past such small-arms were recovered as well.
“Such weapons are being dropped from drones and pushed into J&K through other means as well,” he said, adding that such weapons being light in weight are easy to carry.
To a query whether there was any connection of the module with the martyrdom of police inspector Masroor Ahmed Wani, who was attacked while playing cricket at Eidgah, Srinagar on October 29, the DGP said the case is being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The DGP hailed police for professionally investigating the Bemina Cop attack case and nailing the accused.