Three ultras held for killing labourer

Srinagar, September 17

Three terrorists, said to have been involved in the killing of a non-local labourer in Bandipora district last month, have been arrested, the police said on Saturday. Mohammad Amrez, a labourer from Bihar, was shot dead on the intervening night of August 11 and 12 in Sadunara area, triggering panic.

Mohammad Zahid, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Bandipora district, said a special investigation team (SIT) of the police had been constituted to investigate the case. The arrests were made by a team of the police, the Army and the CRPF. The weapon used for committing the crime has also been recovered, the SSP said.

The arrested men have been identified as Waseeem, Yawar and Muzammil, hailing from Sadunara. The officer said the trio had kept a watch on labourers from other states and UTs and wanted to strike fear among them by such killings.

“They were in touch with a Pakistan handler code-named Babar. This killing took place on his direction,” he added. The SSP said human and technical intelligence was used during the investigation of the case and many people were questioned. “We got clues which we put together and zeroed in on the suspects,” he said, adding it was their first terror act, but they were planning more. A Chinese-made pistol and some pistol rounds were recovered from their possession, he added.