J-K: 2 held for killing Baramulla shopkeeper

Police on Tuesday arrested two persons in connection with the alleged killing of a shopkeeper in north Kashmir's Baramulla district.

The third accused Uzair Ameen remains absconding. All accused were friends.

Sameer Ahmad, the shopkeeper, was shot at in Old Town on June 30 and later succumbed to his injuries the very next day.

"During the investigation, we questioned some of the suspects. Out of them, two persons Aqib Hajaam and Aqib Shalla have confessed that they killed the shopkeeper and a pistol has been recovered," Baramulla SSP Abdul Qayoom told reporters here.

He said that the pistol was provided by Ameen.

"According to the information police and security forces got, Uzair Ameen gave the pistol to Aqib Hajaam and Aqib Shalla and asked them to go and kill Sameer Ahmad. So they went to the Old Town area on that evening on a motorcycle and shot him. The shopkeeper, unfortunately, died from his injuries," Qayoom said.

According to Qayoom, "the trio was aiming to join militancy where Ameen became a terrorist, the other two were on the brink of jumping the gun.