Early Times Report
Jammu, Sept 29: The Special Police Officer (SPO) who deserted with a record number of eight weapons from the residence of MLA in Srinagar on September 28 had allegedly been working as "domestic help" for the lawmaker and not as a police guard.
Sources said during the preliminary investigations the police have got to learn that SPO Adil Bashir who was posted with the People's Democratic Party MLA Aijaz Ahmad Mir and fled with at least eight weapons including the licensed pistol of the legislator from his official residence at Jawahar Nagar, had been doing odd jobs other than his basic duty of providing security.
Source said instead of working as a PSO of the lawmaker, the SPO would prepare food and also clean the government quarter where the MLA has been living.
As per police sources, the incident happened at around 6:30 pm when the SPO had entered J-11 quarter, the official residence of MLA Mir, to clean the rooms. The PDP legislator is in Jammu for the past 12 days.
Sources said the SPO would prepare tea for guests coming to meet the MLA and that he would also cook food. "The MLA being his neighbour in Zainapora, (Shopian), the SPO was one of his trusted men and thus had seemingly been doing odd jobs including housekeeping," said a police official on the condition of anonymity.
SPO Adil, aged 24, (belt No. 488/SPO), hails from Zainapora, the native village of the PDP legislator. A case vide FIR number 57/18 was lodged in police station Rajbagh and the investigation was taken up.
A senior police official told Early Times that police has inputs that the SPO would remain stationed at the house of the MLA and would not escort him during the lawmaker's activities outdoors.
A PSO having decamped with such big number of arms has come up as a major embarrassment for the police when the new DGP is struggling to prove his policing skills in the restive region.
When contacted a senior police official said the matter was being looked into.
"We have also put a reward of Rs two lakh so results are expected soon," the official said. |
