Weapons loot: Four cops dismissed

Srinagar, Dec 31: Four policemen whose rifles were looted from the residence of a senior Congress leader in Srinagar were dismissed from the service on Monday, police said.

“Four policemen who were deployed as PSOs with Congress leader Mohammed Muzzafar Parray have been dismissed from service for dereliction of duty and unauthorised absence,” said a police spokesman.

Deputy inspector general of police, central Kashmir range, VK Birdi said that four AK-47 rifles have gone missing from the Congress leader’s official residence (quarter number J-37) at Jawahar Nagar.

“We have started the investigations into the incident,” he said.

Soon after the incident, senior police officers rushed to the spot and detained all the four policemen—three from the security wing and one from district police lines Sopore— for questioning.

A police source said the detained policemen were also placed under suspension while their questioning was started.

“During their initial interrogation, one of the policemen revealed that when the incident took place, he was alone at the quarter and his associate had gone to Lal Ded hospital to see his relative while two other policemen were not present there,” the source said, adding: “He (a policeman) disclosed that some unidentified gunmen entered quarter number J-37 early on Sunday morning and pointed a gun at him and sought details about weapons. He stated that they (gunmen) later decamped with all the four weapons and before he could raise the alarm, the gunmen fled from the spot.”

The source said the “gunmen” had managed their entry into the quarter on the pretext of “repairing an electricity supply line.”

“It seems that they were fully aware of the fact that only one policeman was present in the quarter. The role of insiders can’t be ruled out,” the source said.

The Congress leader Parray said he is residing in Jammu for the past more than a month and has “no idea” of what had happened at his Srinagar residence.