Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Apr 16: Police today arrested three extortionists including a Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) Panchayat member in North Kashmir’s Sopore area while a hunt for BJP Sarpanch is on.
Police said that on a complaint received by Mudasir Ahmad Shiekh son of Ghulam Mohammad Shiekh resident of Panzipora Sopore, son in law of Ghulam Nabi Lone, son of Abdul Ahad Lone resident of Hamdani Colony Nadihal that during the intervening night of April 3 and 4 some unidentified persons barged into the in-laws’ house at Nadihal along with weapons and asked them to drop them at South Kashmir and also took away two mobile phones and also threatened not to disclose to anyone.
Police registered a case (FIR no 20 u/s 450, 506 IPC and 7/25 Arms Act) at Police Station Panzalla, and investigation were taken up. During investigation on technical evidences one panch Mehrajudin Rather son of Haji Mohammad Akbar Rather resident of Minipora Krankshoon Sopore was called up for questioning and he confessed the commission of crime with three more persons Mohammad Saleem Wani son of Ghulam Rasool Wani resident of Hardpora Achabal Anantnag (Sarpanch), Bashir Ahmad Lone son of Mohammad Shahbhan Lone resident of Nadihal and Mohammad Dilawar Khwaja son of Sonnaullah Khwaja resident of Dachinpora Ruhama.
Police said that during course of investigation three persons were called for questioning one Mohammad Saleem from Anantnag who is also a Sarpanch of BJP and still at large.
It transpired that Mehraj and Saleem had planned to extort money from Lone Traders illegally. Mehraj had contacted Bashir, who further contacted Dilawar for obtaining some imitation weapons for committing the crime.
Police said that these imitation weapons were recovered during investigation, and further efforts are underway to unearth more linkages.