Thief posing as soldier kills soon-to-be groom in Srinagar

SRINAGAR: A suspected thief posed as a soldier and entered a house in Srinagar’s Qazigund claiming to be part of a search operation party. When a family member suspected something amiss and confronted him, the thief stabbed him to death.

The accused, Naseer Ahmad Sheikh , has been arrested and an FIR registered against him, police said. An SIT has been formed to probe the case. Police said further details will be shared once the probe is complete.

Bashir Ahmad Bhat, a retired army soldier and resident of Sangran village, where the incident occurred, said, Naseer entered the house of Mohammad Yasin Banday, armed with a walkie-talkie and a fake pistol. He collected all the mobile phones and said security forces had cordoned off the area after reports of some “suspects” in the house. Bhat said the family allowed him to ‘search’ presuming he was a real security force official.

Imran Ahmad Banday , 25, a family member grew suspicious and confronted him. It led to a scuffle in which Naseer stabbed Imran in the chest. Imran later died of injuries. He was engaged and scheduled to be married next month.

Naseer tried to flee, but was caught by villagers and handed over to police. Villagers believe he was not acting alone. “He was in constant communication with someone over the walkie-talkie,” said another resident.