Srinagar, May 16: Two Hizb terrorists who had been on the run for more than three decades have been arrested, marking a significant development in the investigation into the 1990 murder of Mirwaiz Molvi Muhammad Farooq at his Nigeen residence, according to a top police official.
The terrorist who police say entered the bedroom of the deceased Mirwaiz and opened fire is among those apprehended. Special Director General of Police (CID), RR Swain, announced during a news conference held at the police control room (PCR) that a FIR (First Information Report) pertaining to the death of Mirwaiz Muhammad Farooq was filed at the Nigeen police station on May 21, 1990. After then, the CBI took up the investigation. He told the news outlet Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the TADA court had given a life sentence to one of the suspects after the CBI had filed a charge-sheet against him after his detention.
According to the special DG CID, there was a plot to assassinate Mirwaiz that had been developed by Hizb leader Abdullah Bangroo. Bangroo and his companion, both leaders for Hizb, were slain in separate incidents, with one of the accused already behind bars for life. The State Investigating Agency (SIA) has detained two additional suspects; Srinagar residents Javaid Bhat and Zahoor Ahmed Bhat. They spent those years in hiding in Pakistan and Nepal to avoid capture. As declared criminals, both have been taken into custody and turned over to the CBI, the police official added.
He said that one of the two Hizb militants they had captured, Zahoor Ahmed Bhat, was the one who had broken into Mirwaiz’s bedroom and started shooting at him. However, the special DG did not disclose the location of the arrests.
