Irfan Ahmed Sheikh from Pulwama district’s Karimabad who went missing on 17 January 2022 has been killed during an encounter in the Nambal area of Awantipora in Pulwama district.
The Jammu Kashmir Police had said that 42 Rashtriya Rifles, 130 Battalion CRPF, and SOG personnel from Jammu and Kashmir Police arrived at the Nambal area and during random searches, contact with a militant was established who was killed in the exchange of fire.
The Police identified the slain as Irfan, an affiliate of Lashkar e Taiba.
As per police records, Irfan was a categorized militant. “He was involved in several cases including attacks on security forces”. Besides, he was also providing logistic and other support to the active militants operating in the area before joining the militant ranks, he said.
The Jammu Kashmir Police said that Incriminating materials, arms and ammunition including one Pistol were recovered from the possession of the slain militant. “All the recovered materials have been taken into case records for further investigation.”
In January, The Kashmiriyat reported that Abdul Rashid Sheikh, a resident of Pulwama’s Karimabad said that his youngest son Irfan Ahmed was a Hifz- Quran and was teaching young kids in the locality.
“It has been six days now that he has not returned. We tried reaching him via his phone, but his cell phone is switched off,” Rashid had told The Kashmiriyat.
Rashid said that the family waited for a few days for Irfan to return, but as days passed and there was no clue of him, they filed a missing report at the local police station.
“The police assured us that they will help us find him,” Rashid told The Kashmiriyat.
“We are a poor family. Irfan was the only one to look after his uncle. His uncle has been bed-ridden due to prolonged illness and he used to help him get off the bed and walk a little,” Rashid had said.