Srinagar Attacker Arrested

Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Armed and Law and Order, Vijay Kumar said that the perpetrator responsible for the recent killing of two labourers from Punjab had been arrested. He said the arrested terrorist conspired with his handler in Pakistan, who radicalized ad motivated him through social media, and made him ready for the attack.
Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Vijay Kumar said that the terrorist behind the attack, Adil Manzoor Langoo had been arrested.
“We also recovered a pistol used in the assault in the Habba Kadal area of the city on February 7,” ADGP said.
Pertinently two Punjab residents namely Amritpal Singh and Rohit Masih were shot dead in Srinagar’s Shaheed Gunj area. The attack was the first such incident in 2024. The terrorists had carried out three attacks on non-local workers in 2023.
“Langoo, a resident of Zaldagar, acted upon the directives from his handler in Pakistan,” Vijay Kumar said. He said that the Langoo had been radicalised through social media.
“The arrest took place in Srinagar. Amritpal Singh was fatally wounded during the attack, while Rohit Masih succumbed to injuries at Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) the following day,” Kumar said.
He said that Langoo did not have a background in terrorism and had been motivated through social media.
“On January 4, he was provided with a pistol by Pakistani handlers in Srinagar,” Kumar said. “Handlers of all such modules wherein young men are radicalised and recruited to make them execute incidents will be brought here legally and professionally – whether they be in Pakistan or any other corner of the world. If the handler is a local, their property will be seized and action will be taken.”
ADGP Vijay Kumar was flanked by IGP Kashmir Virdi Kumar Birdi, DIG Central Kashmir Range (CKR) Rajiv Pande, SSP Srinagar Asish Kumar Mishra, and SP PC Srinagar Iftikar Talib.
Speaking on the occasion, IGP Birdi said that Langoo had conspired with his handler in Pakistan, who radicalised and motivated him through social media.
“Langoo’s handler provided the weapon, further fueling his intent to carry out the attack,” he said. The incident marked the first targeted killing of the year by terrorists in J&K.
The banned The Resistance Front (TRF), purportedly a shadow group of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the attack.
Birdi said that Langoo located Singh and Masih in the lanes of Habba Kadal and carried out the fatal attack.
The victims were targeted while returning to their rented accommodation in Srinagar from Amritsar, Punjab.
25 Local Terrorists Active in Kashmir
Earlier, ADGP Armed and L&O Kumar said that currently 25 local terrorists and approximately 30 foreign terrorists were active in Kashmir.
“Human intelligence inputs are being utilised to crack down on terrorist cases. Through counselling, parents have successfully reintegrated some youngsters back into the mainstream,” he said.
Kumar emphasised the stringent approach the Police would adopt towards Pakistani handlers, particularly those locals currently residing across the border.
“We are taking measures to confiscate the assets of these local handlers who are orchestrating terrorist operations by recruiting individuals here,” he said.
Emphasising the professional response of the Police force to counter acts of terrorism in Kashmir, Kumar addressed inquiries about terrorist presence in Srinagar by confirming the activity of only one local terrorist in the area.
“It is a professional hazard that some modules go under the radar. But the Police’s professionalism and hard work are evident from the fact that the culprit has been arrested so fast,” he said referring to Langoo’s arrest.