SRINAGAR A special police officer (SPO) on Friday decamped with seven assault rifles of colleagues from a police post guarding residence of a legislator at high security Jawahar Nagar area of the capital city. He also took licensed pistol of the legislator, PDP MLA from Wachi Shopian, police said and announced a reward of Rs 2 lakhs to capture the deserter.
“SPO Adil Bashir today (Friday) evening decamped with the service weapons including seven AK-rifles and pistol from the guard room at J-11, Government Quarters Jawahar Nagar, a senior police officer.
The residential quarter where from the SPO stole the weapons belongs to MLA Wachi, Aijaz Mir who is presently out of the state.
Adil Bashir Sheikh, 24, (Belt No. 488/SPO) originally belongs to Zainpora, Shopian district. A case has been registered in addition to the departmental inquiry, he added.
Adil was engaged as SPO on March 11, 2017, he said.
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Meanwhile, sources said that following the incident, a high alert has been sounded across the Srinagar district and the routes leading to South Kashmir.
Amid the alert, government forces launched searches at multiple places in Srinagar and its outskirts, they said.
Late on Friday a police official said that that they were investigating whether the SPO decamped with eight weapons today or a few days back.
“After the initial investigation, it has come to fore that the SPO has stolen seven AK-47 rifles from the guard of the MLA at Jawahar Nagar. We are also investigating whether all rifles were decamped today or few days back,” SSP Srinagar Imtiaz Ismail Parray told news agency GNS. He said that the MLA is outside of the state from last ten days.
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Sources said that the incident came to fore when a cop who was on leave resumed duties and reported the incident to the MLA who later informed the police.
Police speaks
In a statement issued here, a police spokesperson said that personal security officer of MLA Wachi Ajaz Ahmad Mir approached Police Station Rajbagh and stated that the weapons of seven personal security officers who are attached with the legislator are missing from his residence at Jawahar Nagar here and one pistol which is licensed personal weapon of Ajaz Mir is also missing. The role of SPO Adil Bashir of Zainpora, Shopian in the commission of crime was also alleged.
On this police party has reached the place of occurrence and the cognizance of the matter has been taken, the spokesperson said.
In this regard FIR No 57/18 is lodged in Police Station Rajbagh & investigation taken up, he said, adding, An amount of Rs two lakh has been announced for capturing the SPO with weapons.
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