Jammu and Kashmir police have arrested 17 long-time absconders evading arrest for decades, officials said on Sunday.
These absconders have been arrested from different parts of the Kashmir Valley over the past few days, including from Srinagar, Pulwama, Ganderbal, Kulgam, Shopian, and Sopore. Police have called it a breakthrough, saying, “It remains committed to bringing to justice all those evading the law, no matter how long it takes.”
In Srinagar, the police arrested six absconders wanted for a range of different crimes under the NDPS Act, the Negotiable Instruments Act, and the RPC.
The six accused have been identified as Habibullah Bhat of Kupwara (27 years), Uneeb Mukhtiyar Nathkhan of Soura (16 years), Mehraj-ud-Din Marazi of Sonwar (absconding for 11 years), Arshid Ahmad Shoora of Lalbazar (8 years), Gowhar Ahmad Wani of Budgam (4 years), and Mashooq Ahmad Sheikh of Shopian (4 years), the police statement said.
In Shopian, police authorities have caught three people who have been evading arrest for over three decades, one of whom was identified as Mushtaq Ahmad Doobi of Chotigam (wanted since 1988), Ab. Rashid Khan of Manloo (since 1987), and Mohammad Yousuf Mir of Anantnag (since 2000).
Similarly, they arrested three more in Pulwama, including Ab. Salam Dar of Chowan Keller, who had been absconding for 25 years in a case under the Arms Act, and Mohammad Ayoub Tedwa of Thairnoo Keller, who was wanted for 10 years in a burglary case.
Another individual, Mehraj Ud Din Rather of Arigam Chirath, who had been declared an absconder in a case under the Negotiable Instruments Act, was also apprehended. Another absconder was held after more than 27 years from Ganderbal, identified as Lateef Ahmad Khuroo, son of Habibullah Khuroo of Bemina, Srinagar, who had been absconding for 27 years in a theft case (FIR No. 69/1998).
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Two more were held in Kulgam district, one of whom was identified as Mohammad Ismail Bhat of Alamgunj and Showkat Ahmad Dar of Khanaywapora Qaimoh, arrested under the RPC and Arms Act.
Meanwhile, in Sopore, police also caught Mohammad Akbar Khan of Arkhairwari Rohama—wanted in a 24-year-old case of sexual assault and housebreaking—and Altaf Ahmad Rather of Warpora Sopore, wanted since 2019 in a theft case.
Jammu and Kashmir police have intensified the crackdown on the criminals involved in domestic crimes, terrorism, murders, and national security matters. “J&K Police remains committed to bringing to justice all those evading the law, no matter how long it takes. These arrests send a clear message that the law will eventually catch up,” the police spokesperson said.
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