Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Mar 14: Two Kupwara residents were arrested today for allegedly setting fire to a building earlier this month, resulting in the death of a non-local resident, as they attempted to fraudulently obtain money from the insurance company.
A police spokesman said that the fire incident occurred in the Battergam area of Kupwara district during the intervening night of March 3rd and 4th, engulfing a commercial building owned by Sanaullah Mir, son of Mukhtar Mir, a resident of Battergam.
“One Mohammad Feroz Alam, son of Taimur Alam, a resident of Charaya, Bihar, lost his life in the incident,” he said.
He said the Kupwara Police Station initiated proceedings under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) in response. “Subsequent inquiries revealed that the fire was deliberately ignited by Abrar Ahmad Bhat, son of Ghulam Hassan Bhat, resident of Battergam, and Zakir Ahmad Bhat, son of Mohammad Afzal Bhat, resident of Gulgam,” he said.
He added that during interrogation, both accused confessed to setting the building ablaze to fraudulently obtain money from the insurance company.
Consequently, he said a case (FIR No. 54/2024) has been registered Under Sections 302, 436, 420, and 120B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). “Both accused individuals had fled from Jammu and Kashmir and sought refuge in Punjab. They were apprehended and brought back to Kupwara to face legal proceedings,” the spokesman added.
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