Missing J&K constable killed by colleague, not militants: Police

Srinagar, June 1 The Jammu and Kashmir Police constable who went missing last month was murdered by a colleague and not militants, a senior police official said on Thursday.

"Constable Sameer Ji Kumar, who went missing on May 14, was killed by special police officer (SPO) Aijaz Ahmad after Kumar resorted to an unnatural sexual act with Ahmad," Deputy Inspector General of Police, Central Kashmir, Ghulam Hassan Bhat told a media conference here.

"Initially the SPO had told police that Kumar had jumped into river Puhroo in Kupwara in a state of an emotional outburst over a failed relation with a girl.

"Police made every possible effort to retrieve Kumar's body... even marine commandos were pressed into service, but without any success," he said.

Bhat said that subsequently, a special investigation team was constituted to solve the case and on sustained questioning by it, Ahmad confessed his crime of killing Kumar and throwing his body in river Puhroo on May 15.

"The accused said that during their visit to Pahalgam on May 14, Kumar had resorted to unnatural sexual act with him and also threatened him that he would disclose it to their colleagues. In order to protect himself from the social stigma the accused had made up his mind to kill Kumar," he said.

The body of the slain constable is, however, still missing.