North Kashmir: SPO decamps with rifle of his Colleague

Mir Arif

Baramulla 23 May (KNB): A special police officer (SPO) who decamped with the service rifle of his colleague from guard room of BJP Leader Mohammad Maqbool War of Rohama Rafiabad has joined militant ranks Police sources said.

SPO Waseem Ah Malla of Shutloo Rafiabad, posted at Guard room at Rohama has gone missing since Wednesday and there is every likelihood that he had joined the militant ranks.

Pertinently, Waseem, a resident of Shutloo, Rafiabad, has decamped with the AK-47 rifle of his colleague and might have joined a millitant outfit by now, sources felt.

Earlier on January 16, Shakoor Ahmad, another SPO, had decamped with four AK-47 rifles from the residence of a senior police officer in Bijbehara area of south Kashmir.

Shakoor of Shopian was posted as PSO to DSP Irshad Ahmad and had fled with AK rifles a few days after assaulting one Irshad Ahmad in the area. In September 2015, cops — Reyaz Ahmed and Ghulam Muhammad — both residents of Doda district of Jammu region had decamped with their service rifles and joined militant ranks. Both were later killed in encounter by security forces. They, according to sources, were associated with Hizbul Mujahideen militant outfit before they had joined police. In November 2015, SPO Rakib Bashir of Pulwama had joined HM a month after they had joined police.

In March 2014, JKAP 11 Bn cop Naseer Ahmad Pandit of Kareemabad, Pulwama, who was posted at the residence of former R&B minister Altaf Bukhari in Srinagar, had joined HM. He had fled with two AK-47 rifles and was later seen in the videos of wanted militant Burhan Wani of Tral.

Earlier in 2012, SPO Abdul Rashid of Batmaloo and Imitiyaz Ahmad of Tengpora were arrested for their involvement in militancy related incident in Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir. Meanwhile, police have arrested eight militants in past two months from north and south Kashmir and busted modules of overground workers of militants as well.

SSP Sopore Javid Iqbal while talking to KNB confirmed that the SPO has gone missing along with the service rifle.

He said that we are verifying the details and are trying to nab the missing SPO. (KNB)