SRINAGAR: Police Sunday said the persons involved in weapon snatching from a policeman in Jammu, winter capital of Jammu, were criminals and not involved in militancy and they wanted to loot the bank.
Police sources said at least three youth riding a motor-cycle threw chilli powder into the eyes of constable Mohammad Hanief, a Personal Security Officer of a cleric Anjuman Minhaj-e-Rasool chairman Maulana Dehlavi, in Jammu yesterday.
“The youth also hit him with sharp edged objects and fled away with his AK-47 rifle,” they said.
IGP Jammu S D Jamwal said as per police investigations, three people were involved in the weapon snatching incident.
“We have arrested two of them and another is absconding,” he said.
Jamwal said the person with the weapon is absconding and efforts are on to trace him.
He said all three people involved in the weapon snatching incident belonged to South Kashmir’s Shopian district.
Meanwhile, State police chief S P Vaid told Express that the absconding youth has been identified.
“We are in touch with his family and hopefully we will get him soon,” he said.
Asked whether the people involved in the weapon snatching were involved in militancy, DGP Vaid said, “They are normal criminals. They wanted to loot the bank”.
“So far during our investigation, militancy angle has not been found,” he said.
Yesterday’s weapon snatching from cop was the first such incident in Jammu.
There have been many weapon-snatching incidents in Valley and militants were involved in all these incidents.
Police had linked the weapon snatching incidents in Valley to shortage of ammunition with the militants.