A terrorist who killed an off duty CRPF Jawan in South Kashmir on Saturday has been arrested, police said. Vijay Kumar, inspector general of police, Kashmir, said that the pistol used for committing the crime was recovered from the suspect and a case was registered. IGP Kashmir said that an over ground worker who accompanied the terrorist during the crime was also arrested. The terror crime was committed on the direction of Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Abid Ramzan Sheikh, according to the police.

The Kashmir Zone police tweeted from its official Twitter handle: "We have arrested #killer of CRPF personnel. #Weapon of #offence (pistol) recovered on his disclosure. 01 OGW who accompanied him during #terror crime also arrested. Terror crime was committed on the direction of LeT Cmdr Abid Ramzan Sheikh. Case registered: IGP Kashmir"

34-year-old Mukhtar Ahmad Dohi, the off duty CRPF Jawan, was shot dead by terrorists near his residence in the Chotipora area of Shopian. Police said that Dohi succumbed to his injuries while on way to a hospital.

Condemning Dohi’s killing, former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah tweeted: “A very worrying spurt in (attacks) the last 7-10 days with off-duty security personnel, mainstream political workers & civilians targeted. My heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased CRPF Jawan Mukhtar Ahmed.”

There has been a rise in targeted killings in the Valley in the last two weeks, including the murder of two independent sarpanch and an independent panchayat member. Terrorists fired upon Shabir Ahmad Mir, an Independent sarpanch, near his residence in Adoura on Friday evening. He was taken to a hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.

Following the incident, security forces neutralised four terrorists in three separate overnight operations in Jammu Kashmir. Two terrorists of Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) were killed in an encounter in the Chewaklan area of Pulwama, while two terrorists linked to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) were gunned down in separate encounters broke out in Ganderbal and Handwara.