Police arrest two for murder of Jammu and Kashmir officer
A Special Police Officer was allegedly buried alive by his cousin and nephew following a land dispute, according to The Indian Express.
A Special Police Officer (SPO) named Bashir Ahmed, 55, was murdered and buried alive in the Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir, according to The Indian Express. Police have arrested his cousin, Bashir Ahmed Dar, and Dar's son, Nazir Ahmed Dar, in connection with the killing.
The incident occurred on the evening of October 14 when Ahmed left his home in Trigam village for a 12-hour night shift at a forest post. When he failed to return by the morning of October 15, his family began searching for him.
Kishtwar Police Station SHO Firdous Ahmed said investigators initially suspected an abduction by militants because Ahmed had disappeared with his service weapon and mobile phone. However, police changed their focus after tracing the signal of the missing phone.
On October 16, officers located the mobile phone and the officer's rifle in the forest. Near a nullah, they discovered freshly dug soil and found Ahmed's body buried in a pit.
An investigating officer stated that Ahmed did not die from a head injury but was buried alive. The accused allegedly used an iron rod to hit Ahmed and placed stones and earth in his mouth to stop him from making noise before burying him.
Police said the murder was linked to a land dispute involving Ahmed's father, Ghulam Mustafa. Although the relatives had previously reached a compromise regarding the land, the accused allegedly confronted Ahmed in the forest on October 15.