Ex-SPO Among Two Hizbul Terrorists Behind Killing Of 2 Civilians In South Kashmir

A special police officer (SPO) who had deserted the force in 2017 is among the two Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists behind the recent killing of two non-Kashmiri civilians and setting ablaze an apple-laden truck in Shopian district of south Kashmir, officials said on Friday. The authorities have put up posters in different areas of Shopian with the pictures of the terrorists — former SPO Syed Naveed Mushtaq alias Naveed Babu of Nazneenpora and Rahil Magray of Ganavpora — and requested the people to share information that might lead to their capture.

Naveed deserted the police force to join the terrorist ranks in 2017 and is currently the district commander of the outfit, the officials said. He had decamped with four weapons then. He has been threatening apple growers not to send their produce to Indian markets. The terror warning had come through posters and pamphlets in Shopian, signed by Naveed alias “Babar Azam” immediately after the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and division of the state into two union territories in early August.