The Jammu and Kashmir Police, on Tuesday, said a person has been arrested in connection with the February 7 Srinagar attack case in which two men from Punjab were shot dead by militants.
IGP Kashmir V.K. Bhirdi told reporters that Adil Manzoor Langoo, a resident of Srinagar, was arrested following a thorough investigation. According to the IPG, Langoo allegedly acted on the directions of his Pakistani handler and carried out the attack in Srinagar.
A team, led by SP under the supervision of DIG Central Kashmir, conducted the probe.
ADGP (Law and Order) J&K, Vijay Kumar, affirmed the police's commitment to taking stern action against terrorist handlers residing in Pakistan and direct local to carry out attacks.
Langoo, hailing from Zaldagar area of Srinagar and an adherent to the Ahl-i Hadith sect, maintained contact with his Pakistani handler through social media. He got a gun in January.
"His handler in Pakistan radicalised him on social media and motivated him to carry out the attack," Birdi said.
Birdi said the weapon was provided to Langoo by his handler and this further "motivated him to carry out the attack".
Langoo tracked Amritpal Singh and Rohit Masih in the lanes of Habba Kadal and fired on them, killing Singh on the spot, he said.
Kumar emphasised the professional approach of the police in addressing terror incidents in Kashmir and acknowledged the presence of active foreign and local terrorists in the region. "It is a professional hazard that some modules go under the radar. But the police's professionalism and hardwork are evident from the fact that the culprit has been arrested so fast," he said, referring to Langoo's arrest.
He urged parents and educators to monitor closely the online activities of youngsters, particularly those who use social media extensively.
The February 7 incident was the first targeted killing of the year by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir and the responsibility for it was taken by the banned 'The Resistance Front (TRF)', a shadow group of Pakistan-based Lashker-e-Taiba.
—With PTI inputs
