SRINAGAR: Police in Jammu and Kashmir’s (J&K) Ganderbal district said on Wednesday that a youth who was suspected to have drowned in a canal was actually murdered by his friends.
SSP Ganderbal, Muhammad Khalil Poswal told reporters that the 22-year-old youth identified as Ajaz Ahmed Rather son of Ghulam Muhammad Rather of Sultan Colony Kangan, Ganderbal was strangulated before his body was dumped into the canal.
This came to light hours after the body of the youth was recovered from a canal in the district.
The SSP said that Ajaz Ahmed used to play cricket with two of his acquaintances, identified as Niyazul Haq and Moieen, however, slowly tensions and enmity between them grew.
“The two accused purchased a wire, which has been clearly captured in CCTV footage, and used it to strangulate Ajaz Ahmed.
“After committing the murder, they threw his body into the canal. The wire used in this murder has also been recovered, while strangulation marks are visible on the neck of the victim, making it evident that this was not an accident, but a deliberate killing.
“Scientific and forensic methods will be employed to strengthen the case, and we are hopeful of securing a conviction against the accused, ” the SSP said.
The body of the deceased was retrieved after 12-hours by the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and police teams.