Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 5: Tension gripped Channi Himmat and Trikuta Nagar areas tonight after domestic servant of Congress leader Zulfikar Ali Mumtaz decamped with AK-47 rifle of Personal Security Officer (PSO) of Mumtaz from his Channi Himmat residence and opened firing after taking position inside slum colony near Marble Market at Trikuta Nagar causing serious injuries to two persons including a police constable Mohammad Riaz.
After more than two hours operation, police captured the domestic servant Ashfaq, a resident of Gool in Reasi district, who was a minor aged about 14 years but handled AK-47 rifle like a militant.
Police said Ashfaq Ahmad, 14 years old servant of Mumtaz and a resident of Gool stole AK-47 rifle of Congress leader Zulfikar Ahmed’s PSO Badar Din when the latter had gone outside the house leaving behind the weapon. Ashfaq rushed out of the house, boarded a three-wheeler and reached Marble Market in Trikuta Nagar at about 9.30 pm.
After getting a report of the domestic servant running from the house of Congress leader along with AK-47 rifle, police parties from Channi Himmat led by SDPO Mohammad Rafiq launched a hunt for him. Senior police officers including SSP Jammu Uttam Chand also reached the spot and a message was flashed to all police stations about the escape of domestic servant with AK-47 rifle.
Police said Ashfaq Ahmed hid himself in slum colony near Marble Market at Trikuta Nagar and fired a burst when confronted by the police teams and asked to surrender. In the firing, a police constable Mohammad Riaz, PSO of SHO Channi Himmat and a slum dweller were seriously injured.
The boy then abandoned the weapon and fled away from the spot.
Police parties seized the weapon and evacuated the two seriously injured police constable and slum dweller to the Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu, where both of them were operated upon. Their condition remained serious.
After hot chase, police parties succeeded in apprehending the boy. He was shifted to Channi Himmat police station, where he was being subjected to sustained questioning to ascertain his militant links and motive behind fleeing with AK-47 rifle. He was being quizzed as to how he was trained in handling the weapon.
Police have also detained Badar Din, PSO of the Congress leader, who was a constable of Indian Reserve Police.
Further investigations in the case were on and police didn’t rule out militancy angle in it.
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