Srinagar: In a second such incident in the past few months, a Jammu and Kashmir policeman has decamped with four AK 47 rifles and is suspected to have joined militant ranks.
Police sources said that Shakoor Ahmed, a personal security officer (pso) of deputy superintendent of police and sub-district police officer Bijbehara, Irshad Ahmed Rather, walked away from his duty at the latter’s residence in Bijbehara, 45-km south of here, and took with him four service weapons on Friday night.
Police officers Ahmed Rather and another PSO Tanveer Ahmed were seriously injured in a sneak militant attack on December 24.
Police officials said Shakoor Ahmed may have joined militants’ ranks and a massive manhunt has been launched for him and recover the weapons. They also said that investigations would also look into possibility of the cop's role in the December 24 attack.
In an earlier incident, another policeman Nazir Pandit, deployed as the security guard of then roads and buildings minister and PDP leader Syed Altaf Bukhari decamped with two AK-47 rifles and joined frontline militant outfit Hizb-ul-Mujahideen.
On Wednesday, Pakistan-based Hizb chief, Muhammad Yusuf Shah alias Syed Salahuddin, in a statement to local news gathering agency CNS claimed that the policeman has since joined the outfit ranks. Hizb spokesperson Salim Hashmi confirmed it saying the outfit has decided to reward Pandit who is a resident of Karimabad of southern Pulwama district for his 'daring act'.
