SPO Who Fled With AK-47 Rifles Has Joined Hizbul Mujahideen: Police
Adil Wearing Red Jacket and in Black Zeenat Ul Islam. Image Credit: Free Press Journal
Srinagar: Special Police Officer (SPO) Adil Bashir, who had decamped with nine weapons from the official residence of Aijaz Mir, a People’s Democratic Party MLA from Wachi constituency, on September 29, has joined militant ranks, the J&K Police has confirmed. Mir was in Jammu when the incident took place.
The incident has triggered a security alert across Kashmir, with the police announcing a Rs 2 lakh reward for anyone who provides any information about the SPO.
On September 30, a picture of the SPO wearing a tactical vest and carrying two AK 47 rifles along with four militants of Hizbul Mujahedeen, including top Commander Zeenat-ul-Islam, went viral on social networking websites, according to the police.
On the evening of September 29, Bashir is said to have uploaded the picture with the weapons on social media.
It may be noted that the SPO has managed join the militant group despite the high alert announced across Kashmir and multiple checkpoints set up to apprehend him.
As per reports, one of the major loopholes that led to the incident was that the Personal Security Officers (PSOs) posted with the MLA didn’t follow the guidelines of taking leave without handing over their weapons to the unit concerned. Instead, they had kept their weapons at the MLA’s residence.
As per police reports, before joining as an SPO, Bashir had been involved in stone-pelting and many cases were registered against him.
To avoid such incidents in the future, the J&K Police have come up with new plans in which all senior police officers within the rank of Sub Divisional Police Officers and Station House Officers must monitor the behaviour of PSOs.
As part of these new measures, the police have also made it mandatory for all PSOs to submit their weapons to the wings concerned before proceeding on leave. If the PSO belongs to the district police line, he has to go there and submit the weapon. PSOs who are far from the wings and police lines must submit the weapons to the nearby police stations and get a proper receipt, the state police said.
According to a report in the International Business Times citing official data, nearly 250 weapons have been snatched by militants in the past three years, out of which only 76 were recovered.
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