"We have arrested two persons making claims for militant attacks in Srinagar city over the past one-and-a-half years. One of them is a policeman while another is a released militant," Inspector General of Police Kashmir S M Sahai told reporters here.
Sahai said the policeman was Abdul Rehman Shigan alias Umar Mukhtar, who was acting as spokesman for Kashmir Islamic Movement, a shadow outfit of Hizbul Mujahideen.
The IGP said Shigan was involved in five killings -- two National Conference workers, two retired and a serving police officer since January 2011.
He said Shigan was working in coordination with Imtiyaz Ahmad alias Raashid, a released militant, in carrying out the attacks.
The IGP said with the arrest of Shigan and Imtiyaz, all militancy related cases that have taken place in Srinagar city over the past 19 months have been solved.
Sahai said the two were also involved in the attack on Rural Development Minister Ali Mohammad Sagar in December last year in which a policeman was killed and three others were injured.
He said the two had carried out grenade attacks on an army camp and the Civil Secretariat in the city in the recent months. "These incidents had given an impression that militancy is on the rise. However, this is not correct ... statistically also the number of incidents has come down compared to last year," he said.
Sahai said a large quantity of arms and ammunition had been recovered from the residence of Shigan, who working as an over ground worker for militants before getting selected as a trainee constable in 1998.
"He was discharged from police department while undergoing basic training for his involvement in militant activities and detained under Public Safety Act," Sahai said, adding he was reinstated on court orders.
