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10 arrested for loot, extortion after donning army uniforms in Kashmir
The Jammu and Kashmir Police have arrested 10 people on Tuesday for allegedly looting and extorting people in Srinagar by posing as army personnel donning combat uniforms and carrying dummy AK-47 rifles
The Jammu and Kashmir Police have arrested 10 people on Tuesday for allegedly looting and extorting people in Srinagar by posing as army personnel donning combat uniforms and carrying dummy AK-47 rifles.
Police said the accused were arrested and stolen gold ornaments worth ₹22 lakh, a vehicle worth ₹2 lakh, combat uniforms and dummy weapons resembling AK- 47 rifles and pistols were recovered from their possession.
A police spokesman said they received a complaint on May 5, from a resident of Khawaja Bagh Maloora that on the night of May4, around six to eight unidentified gunmen wearing combat uniforms had barged into his house and looted jewellery, some cash, and a mobile phone along with a SIM card.
Two months later, another complaint was filed on July 8 by a resident of Hokarsar Umerabad stating that four to six unidentified gunmen in combat uniform entered his house and looted gold jewellery and cash. Cases were filed in both the incidents.
The spokesman said special teams were constituted under the supervision of SDPO West City.
“After leads from technical evidences, a few suspects were zeroed in on. During the process, 10 accused were arrested,” the spokesman said.
The accused belong to Srinagar, Baramulla and Budgam districts.
“The miscreants would first recce different areas to find target houses which invariably were the ones where a marriage ceremony was scheduled in the near future. They would don the army camouflage uniforms and enter the houses with dummy pistols and assault rifles on pretext of cordon and search,” the police spokesman said.
He said after getting access to the targeted houses, they would lock up the family in one room, snatch their mobile phones and loot valuables, gold jewellery and cash.
