No headway in journalist Bukhari murder probe as lone man arrested fails to provide clues

The only man arrested in connection with the murder of senior Kashmiri journalist Shujaat Bukhari after being captured on cameras stealing the pistol of one of his slain security guards has not provided any clues yet and may not be connected to the three main suspects, police said.

The only man arrested in connection with the murder of senior Kashmiri journalist Shujaat Bukhari after being captured on cameras stealing the pistol of one of his slain security guards has not provided any clues yet and may not be connected to the three main suspects, senior police officers familiar with the investigation said.

People carry the body of journalist Shujaat Bukhari, who was killed by unidentified gunmen outside his office in Srinagar, during his funeral in Srinagar. (Reuters)

Zubair Qadri has been unable to provide any leads to the three motorcycle-borne men who sprayed gunfire at Bukhar’s car on Thursday evening after he left his office in Srinagar before iftar, killing him and two of his security guards, the officers said.

Qadri may not be connected to the three main suspects , a police officer said on condition of anonymity. The three men appeared to have taken several precautions to conceal their identities, which suggested they were aware of the presence of cameras in the area, a second officer said, also requesting anonymity .

The special investigation team (SIT) formed to trace Bukhari’s killers held its first meeting on Saturday. A third police officer said the SIT had not been able to find any tangible lead, adding that the probe was being conducted on a ”fast-track basis.”

“We are on it. May be the breakthrough could be achieved in the coming days,’’ he said.

Bukhari, 50, who was editor-in-chief of the Rising Kashmir newspaper, was killed in a drive-by-shooting two days before Eid, plunging the Kashmir valley into mourning and sparking condemnation across the board.Chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said terrorism had “hit a new low” with the killing of Bukhari, who championed peace in the region torn by an almost three-decade-old separatist campaign.

Hours after the crime, police released two sets of pictures and asked people to identify the suspects, which they have so far not been able to do so, officers said.

Police say they have knowledge about the weapons used by the gunmen on the basis of empty bullet shells recovered from the site of the crime.