Army 'deserter' killed by unidentified gunmen in south Kashmir
Srinagar, Mar 13 (UNI) A person, who was declared deserter by the Army in September last year, was on Wednesday killed by unidentified gunmen in south Kashmir district of Pulwama.
Official sources said unidentified gunmen barged into the resident of 25-year-old Showkat Ahmad Naik in village Pingleena at Pulwama on Wednesday afternoon.
“Naik was taken outside his residence and shot at from close range,” they said, adding that the masked gunmen managed to escape from the spot.
They said Naik was immediately taken to a hospital, where he was declared brought dead.
Meanwhile, security forces were rushed to the area and a search operation was launched to nab the attackers. Checkpoints were established within the five-km radius from the site of shooting, sources added.
Earlier, it was reported that Naik was a soldier. However, Defence Ministry Spokesperson Colonel Rajesh Kalia, rejecting the reports, said the killed person was a deserter.
Giving details, he said Naik, son of Mohammad Yousuf Naik, never took oath as a soldier.
“He was enrolled on January 15, 2018 in Territorial Army and went to JAK LI Regimental Center on March 21, 2018,” Col Kalia said.
He said the individual went on three days leave on September 14, 2018 and never returned. “Naik was declared deserter on September 17, 2018,” he said.
Col Kalia said technically, after being declared deserter during training, he is a civilian. “We have no ex-recruit,” he added.
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