Airport attack — J-K police claim forest employee harboured ultras

SRINAGAR, JANUARY 24: Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Gul Naik, who was picked up for allegedly harbouring the Lashkar suicide squad that ...

SRINAGAR, JANUARY 24: Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Gul Naik, who was picked up for allegedly harbouring the Lashkar suicide squad that tried to storm the Srinagar airport on January 16 will be booked by the police. Inspector General of Police (Kashmir range) A.K. Bhan, said Naik has confessed to the crime.

The Special Operation Group (SOG) of Police had picked up three forest officials â€“ DFO Gul Naik, State Forest Corporation manager Mohammad Yousuf Gabroo and Bilal Ahmad Mir, driver of the jeep used by the militants.

Bhan said that the State Forest Corporation manager was not found guilty and has been released. He denied the Hurriyat allegation that driver Bilal was killed in custody, maintaining that he died in an exchange of fire with militants.

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Police claimed that the Lashkar militants were hiding at the residence of Gul Naik at Mithan Nowgam for three days before they launched the attack. Two militants, who snatched the jeep from near the residence of Gabroo, had abducted the manager and his driver and taken them to Mithan Nowgam, where they detained them at the annexe of DFO Gul Naikâ€™s house till 4.30 pm.

SFC manager Gabroo confirmed that they were detained at the annexe of Naik, but maintained that the DFO was not present there.