Police file chargesheet in Army soldier’s murder in Budgam

Samaan Lateef

Srinagar, November 7

Jammu Kashmir Police have filed chargesheet against militants and their associates for killing an Army soldier in Budgam district.

The Budgam Police produced a chargesheet against five accused persons for their involvement in abducting and murdering an Army soldier at Lokipora village in the Khag area of Budgam.

The chargesheet has been filed against Athar Illahi Sheikh, an Over Ground Worker of Lashkar-e-Toiba who is currently lodged in Kot Bilawal Jail in Jammu, three slain militants of LeT, Mohammad Yousuf Dar and Faisal Hafeez Dar of Budgam, and Hilal Ahmad Sheikh of Wagoora Baramulla, and a foreign terrorist Ghazi Bhai, who is currently operating in north Kashmir.

On March 7, police received a complaint about an in-service army soldier, Mohammad Sameer Malla, who was on leave and had gone missing from his home at Lokipora. 

Acting on the complaint, police launched a search to find the missing soldier of the Jammu Kashmir Light Infantry.

Three days later Malla’s body was recovered from an apple orchard in Labran-Khag area. 

Police filed a murder case and took up the investigation. 

During the course of the investigation, Athar Illahi was apprehended upon questioning admitted that he along with the other four accused abducted the Army soldier and tortured him, resulting in his death. They later buried his body.

During the investigation, three militants involved in Malla’s murder were killed in an anti-terror operation at Malwa Kunzar on April 22 while as Ghazi of Pakistan is still at large.

After the collection of evidence, police filed chargeseheet under Sections 364, 302, and various sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act against the five accused.

Expert opinions were to be obtained from CFSL Chandigarh due to which producing chargesheet got delayed, police said.