Srinagar, Days after the two workers from Punjab were killed, J&K Police on Tuesday said that the main accused who shot dead the duo has been arrested.
Additional Director General of Police, Law and Order Vijay Kumar on Tuesday announced that the case has been solved and the main accused Adil Manzoor Langoo, a resident of Zaldager, Srinagar, who opened fire on the workers, has been arrested.
On February 7, evening unknown militants opened fire on Amritpal Singh and Rohit Masih of Punjab’s Chamyari village, at ShallaKadal, Shaheed Gunj in Srinagar. While Singh, 31, died on the spot Masih, 27, succumbed to his injuries next morning in a Srinagar hospital. The two slain were neighbours and were coming back to Srinagar from Amritsar, when they were fired.
Lashkar-e-Taiba’s affiliate TRF (The Resistance Front) had claimed responsibility for the attack on their social media channel.
Addressing a press conference, Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Vidhi Kumar Birdi said the main accused Adil was arrested on the basis of clinching evidence.
“Srinagar Police, on the basis of technical and field analysis, zeroed in upon certain suspects and later on, based upon clinching evidence collected during investigation, identified and arrested the main accused Adil Manzoor,” Birdi said.
He said the weapon of offence- a pistol- and other incriminating material was recovered.
IGP Birdi said the accused had conspired with his handler in Pakistan for commission of the terror crime.
“Accused was a highly motivated and radicalized individual. His handler in Pakistan radicalized him on social media and motivated him to carry out the terror attack. The handler provided him the weapon after which he motivated him to carry out the attack. In furtherance of same, the accused identified his targets and tracked them in the lanes of Shalla Kadal,” Birdi said.
Soon after the attack, Deputy Inspector General of Police Central Kashmir Range, Rajiv Pande had constituted a SIT headed by Superintendent of Police South for investigation of the case.
ADGP Vijay Kumar during the press conference said that police will act tough against the handlers who motivate youth towards violence.
“If the handlers are living in Pakistan or in any part of the world, we will get them here professionally and legally. We are seizing property of those handlers from Kashmir who are based in Pakistan at present,” he said.
About the presence of militants in Srinagar, the ADGP said that one local terrorist Momin is active in Srinagar.
“There are only 25 local terrorists and 25 to 30 foreign terrorists active in Kashmir,” Kumar said.