Shabir Khan Police in Sopore have arrested a man accused of conning a resident out of Rs 95,000 by falsely claiming he had influence within the police department and could help resolve a pending case. The accused, identified as Shahzad Ahmad Dar, son of the late Mohammad Ramzan Dar and a resident of Dangerpora Sopore, allegedly lured the victim with false promises of intervention in a police matter. Officials said Dar used both intimidation and deception to extract the money. After receiving a complaint, police registered an FIR (No. 134/2025) at Police Station Sopore and launched an investigation. The accused was subsequently arrested. Police said the matter is being investigated further to check if Dar was involved in similar cases of fraud. "Citizens have been urged to re...

Jammu Kashmir Police on Saturday attached immovable properties in Ganderbal valued at Rs: 3.2 crore belonging to three terrorists currently operating from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). “The action was taken under FIR No. 48/2009, registered under Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) at Police Station Kheerbawani,” reads a statement issued to the news agency JKNS. It says, the individuals whose properties were attached include:Farooq Ahmad Rather, S/O Abdul Ahad Rather, R/O Kurag, Ganderbal,Noor, Mohammad Parray, S/O Abdul Ahad Parray, R/O Hatbura, Ganderbal and Mohammad Maqbool Sofi, S/O Gh. Mohammad Sofi, R/O Khurhama, Ganderbal “According to officials, a total of 9 kanals and 1½ marlas of land owned by these individuals has been attached following due...

A 63-year-old farmer died after being electrocuted while working in his field in Odina village of the Sumbal area in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district. “The deceased has been identified as Ghulam Muhammad Dar, son of the late Abdul Rahman Dar, a resident of Odina. Dar was engaged in routine agricultural work when he accidentally came into contact with a live electric wire that had reportedly fallen on his land,” officials said. “He died on the spot after being electrocuted,” an official confirmed, adding that the wire is believed to have snapped and gone unnoticed until the incident occurred. The sudden death has cast a pall of gloom over the village, with residents expressing anger over the alleged negligence of the Power Development Department (PDD). Locals have demanded a t...

Muhammad Daniyal Ubaidullah, 26, from Sopore in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, has been awarded the UK government’s highly competitive Chevening Scholarship to pursue a postgraduate degree in Human Rights Law at the London School of Economics (LSE). Selected from over 100,000 applicants worldwide, his achievement marks a significant milestone for Kashmir’s academic and legal circles. Having spent over six years studying and working in London, Daniyal is no stranger to the UK. After completing his schooling in Kashmir and higher secondary studies in Delhi, he earned a BA (Hons) in Sociology from Hindu College, University of Delhi, and later a law degree from King’s College London. He was also elected Vice President of the King’s College London Students’ Union, representing nearly 50...

Bhat Yasir In an age where development often comes at the cost of greenery, Abdul Ahad Khan, a 42-year-old labourer from Nagri Malpora in north Kashmir’s Kupwara, is quietly scripting a green resistance. Popularly known as the “Chinar Man of Kashmir”, a title unofficially bestowed upon him by forest officials and villagers alike, Khan has spent the past 15 years planting trees—especially Chinars, the iconic symbols of Kashmir’s heritage and ecology. His dream? To plant 50,000 trees in his lifetime, a goal that grows more urgent as Kashmir continues to lose its tree cover at an alarming rate. Just last month, a government-backed report revealed that over six lakh trees were cut along the banks of the Jhelum River, many of them to make way for flood channel expansion and other "anti...

Shabir Khan More than 200 people in the Nagri area of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district have fallen ill after consuming contaminated water from a common source. The outbreak, which began two days ago in Gamandar locality, caused symptoms like vomiting, diarrhoea, and abdominal pain. Chief Medical Officer Kupwara, Dr Masrat Iqbal Wani, confirmed the incident and said a medical team was promptly dispatched to the village. Authorities have advised residents to stop using the suspected water source. Water samples have been collected and sent for testing. “The situation is under control, and any further steps will be based on the lab findings,” health officials from Kupwara said.

The High Court of Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh has dismissed a petition filed by seven residents of Chewa-Ullar village in Tral, Pulwama, who sought to halt the construction of a rural link road allegedly built over a traditional irrigation canal. The court found no evidence of "wrongdoing or malafide" intent in the project and upheld the authorities' decision, citing public interest and technical assessments. The villagers had claimed that the road project, laid over land recorded as an irrigation canal and drainage channel in official records, would block water flow critical for farming and was meant to benefit influential individuals. “This road is not a development project, it’s a disaster in the making for our fields,” said Abdul Gani, one of the petitioners. “It cuts right throu...