Killing of Army jawan: LeT responsible for abduction, murder: Police
Srinagar: The banned Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) militant outfit is responsible for the abduction and killing of Army soldier Sameer Ahmad Malla, whose body was found in an orchard in Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam district last week, police said.
The last call made by Malla, a Territorial Army jawan attached with Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry, to his mother was also done when he was being held in captivity by the Lashker-e-Taiba led by Yusuf Kantoo.
Kantoo, one of the oldest surviving operative, was described by Inspector General of Police (Kashmir range) Vijay Kumar as “the mastermind behind the killing of the Army jawan”.
According to police, the probe narrowed on a local villager Ather Illahi Sheikh who had called Malla for a meeting. It turned out that Sheikh was working for the banned terror outfit.
Malla upon reaching the meeting point with Sheikh saw three other militants including Kantoo.
“During questioning, he (Sheikh) confessed that on March 6, three militants of proscribed terror outfit LeT came to his house and stayed there for the night.
“The next day pursuant to a well-knit conspiracy Army jawan Sameer Ahmad Malla was called by the said militant associate Ather Illahi to his residence where from he was kidnapped by all the four and thereafter, taken to the spot where from the dead body was ultimately retrieved,” police said in a statement.
After killing Malla, Sheikh got a shovel from his house which was used to bury the body. The shovel was also recovered by the investigating team.
Malla, who was on leave, had gone missing from his home in Khag area of Budgam on March 7 and his body was recovered on March 10.
The army jawan was the person who accompanied Major Leetul Gogoi, who shot to fame by tying a local villager to a jeep ostensibly to prevent stone pelting in 2018, to a local hotel along with a girl in Srinagar.
Malla was held guilty in 2019 by a court martial along with his company commander Major Gogoi for “fraternising” with a local woman and “being away from the place of duty while in operational area”.
Meanwhile, police said that three militant associates were arrested after a Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) module involved in the killing of a sarpanch was busted in Kulgam district of south Kashmir on Monday.
Militants had killed sarpanch Shabir Ahmad Mir near his residence in Adoura in Kulgam on Friday night.
#Kulgam Police busted #terror module of proscribed terror outfit HM involved in recent #killing of #Sarpanch Shabir Ahmad Mir & arrested 03 #terrorist associates actively involved, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said on Twitter.
He said police seized incriminating material as well as the vehicles used in the commission of the crime.
During #investigation, it was learnt that the Sarpanch was killed by HM #terrorist Mushtaq Yatoo on the directions of HM Chief operative Farooq Nalli, Kumar said
Police had earlier said Mir was given accommodation in a secured hotel in Srinagar but he had left it and reached his home without informing authorities.
Press Trust of India
