Former SPO held for gold theft at Nishat

Srinagar, Aug 28: The police have virtually cracked a theft case reported from Gupkar Mohalla Nishat on the outskirts of Srinagar, where gold worth lakhs was stolen from the residence of two brothers.
Reliable sources said that police station Nishat has recovered a major portion of the stolen property and detained the main accused, a former Special Police Officer (SPO), while further investigation is underway.
The theft came to light when house owners Muhammad Aslam Lone and his younger brother, Rahil Gulzar, reported that ornaments valued at around Rs 16 lakh had gone missing from their residence. At the time of the incident, only Lone’s son and two of his friends, including the accused, were present in the house.
Police detained three persons for questioning, including Lone’s son. Two of them were later released, while the third, identified as former SPO Shahid Mehraj Bhat, son of Mehraj-u-Din of Shalimar, was found to be involved. During questioning, Mehraj confessed to stealing the gold and cash and revealed that he had concealed the stolen items at his residence.
Sources said gold ornaments along with cash worth Rs 11,500 have been recovered. However, the house owners claimed that Rs 2.5 lakh is still missing and alleged that the same accused is responsible.
Sources said that the accused had earlier served as an SPO at Police Station Saddar for about two years before being transferred to Police Post Khimber. During his posting at Saddar, he had allegedly stolen jewellery worth around 15 to 20 lakh from the station’s Malkhana.
An FIR under number 05/2025 had been registered at Police Station Saddar under sections 317(2) and 306 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Locals in the area appreciated the swift action of the police in recovering the stolen property but demanded strict punishment for the accused, stressing that repeated offenders should be taken to task without any mercy. [KNT]