A special police officer (SPO) on Wednesday decamped with the service rifle of a police constable in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district, police said.
Waseem Ahmad, posted on guard duty at the house of a former BJP's Kisan Morcha member Muhammad Maqbool in Rafiabad area, decamped with the service weapon of constable Shamshad Ahmad, a police officer said.
Police said a manhunt has been launched to trace Ahmad and the weapon.
Special police officers are engaged on a fixed monthly remuneration in the state to fight militancy. They are not fully trained to handle weapons issued to them while performing duties.
--IANS
sq/ahm/vd