Jammu Tawi: Jammu Police on Tuesday claimed to have solved a blind firing case in which two arrests were made after a thorough investigation. The incident, which occurred during the intervening night of 02-03 November 2024, involved a 25-year-old man, Imran Khalil, who was fired upon by unknown assailants near Nikki Tawi area. He sustained serious injuries and was admitted to GMC Jammu for treatment. A complaint was filed by the victim’s mother, Shaista, and an FIR (No. 168/2024) was registered under sections 109(2)/3(5) BNS, 3/25 Arms Act. A dedicated investigation team was formed, and CCTV footage from over 100 cameras was analyzed and 20 suspects were rounded up for for questioning. The breakthrough came on 10 November when a special naka (checkpoint) was set up near T-chowk on 4th Tawi Bridge. During a routine check, a black Creta car was stopped, and upon searching, police recovered 18 grams of a heroin-like substance. The occupants of the vehicle, identified as Mohd. Hussain Khatana (@Raju) of Anantnag and Mohd. Ramzan of Ragoora, Jammu, were arrested. A separate FIR (No. 174/2024) was registered against them under the NDPS Act.
During sustained questioning, both accused confessed to their involvement in the firing incident. On their disclosure, police recovered one pistol along with 16 live cartridges, and the car used in the crime was seized.
It was revealed that the motive behind the firing was linked to a personal vendetta. Mohd. Hussain Khatana (@Raju) had a dispute with a drug smuggler from Nikki Tawi over a payment issue. A few days before the firing, the drug smuggler had slapped Khatana, which led to the anger and resentment. Khatana mistakenly believed that the victim, Imran Khalil, was sharing information about him with the drug smuggler, leading to the deliberate attack on Khalil.
Police investigations revealed that Mohd. Ramzan, one of the accused, had a long criminal history, including nine cases related to bovine smuggling, NDPS, and attempted murder. He was also wanted in an attempt-to-murder case from 2023, registered at Police Station Bage-e-Bahu, Jammu.
The arrests and recovery were made by a team led by SHO Nowabad, Insp. Deepak Pathania, along with PSI Darshan Singh and PSI Aziz Tariq, under the supervision of DySP Ashok Kumar and SP City North, Brijesh Sharma. The local community has praised the police for their quick action in solving the case and recovering narcotics.
