Police on Thursday said it has identified the militants who abducted and murdered Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz in Kulgam of Jammu and Kashmir.
The militants belong to Hizbul Mujahideen and are local boys, police sources said.
The police also found that the militants used one INSAS rifle, snatched from the cops, to kill the 22-year-old army officer.
The important breakthrough within 48-hours of the incident has coincided with the arrival of Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi in Kashmir.
Mehrishi met Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and discussed the security situation in the state.
Preliminary investigations found that three Hizbul militants—Ishfaq Thakur, Mohammad Abbas and Gayas ul Islam—were part of the group that abducted and later executed Fayaz.
According to senior superintendent Shopian of police Ambarkar Shiriam Dinaka, there were others who were involved in kidnapping and killing of the army officer and the police are trying to ascertain their identities.
He said it is the same militant group that is operating in the area and is wanted in bank robberies, murders and other cases.
"We have identified the three men involved and one of them was bailed out in a 302 case sometime back. They knew the officer and picked him with aim to kill,'' Dinaka told THE WEEK.
He said the Fayaz was great prospect and was recently transferred to Aknooor in Jammu. ''Earlier, he was posted in Rajasthan after completing his training in the NDA. He was an achiever and a star of the family and the whole area.''
Fayaz was abducted from his home in Kulgam during the marriage ceremony of his cousin sister. Militants barged into his house and took him away at gunpoint. Next morning his body was found outside his village at Harman.
He had two bullet wounds on his body. The cartridge found at the spot was traced to the INSAS rifle snatched by the militants from police.
The police have left no stone unturned to track down the militants behind the killing of the young army officer.
Security forces have already launched cordon and search operations to track down militants involved in the killing.
Search operations and area dominating exercises were carried out on Wednesday to flush out militants who have forced their writ on the area.
