Srinagar, March 14: Two residents of Kupwara have been apprehended for allegedly setting fire to a commercial complex in the Batergam area of Kupwara to claim insurance benefits, resulting in the tragic death of a non-local resident.
According to the police, following the incident, a case was registered and several suspects were questioned, including two individuals who were operating their businesses within the complex. The authorities stated that after the incident, the duo fled from Kashmir and sought refuge in Punjab. However, they were traced and apprehended from there.
During questioning, the duo confessed to setting the building on fire. The fire incident occurred in Battergam, Kupwara, where a commercial building owned by Sanaullah Mir, son of Mukhta Mir, resident of Battergam, was set ablaze.
Unfortunately, one individual, Mohammad Feroz Alam, son of Taimur Alam, resident of Charaya Bihar, lost his life in the incident.
In response, the Kupwara Police Station initiated proceedings under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). Subsequent inquiries uncovered that the fire was deliberately ignited by Abrar Ahmad Bhat, son of Gh Hassan Bhat, resident of Battergam, and Zakir Ahmad Bhat, son of Mohammad Afzal Bhat, resident of Gulgam.
Consequently, a case (FIR No. 54/2024) has been registered under sections 302, 436, 420, and 120B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Both accused individuals had fled from Jammu and Kashmir and sought refuge in Punjab. They were apprehended and brought back to Kupwara to face legal proceedings.
During interrogation, the accused confessed that they set the building ablaze intending to fraudulently obtain money from the insurance company.