Special police officer Adil Bashir Sheikh, who fled with weapons joins Hizbul Mujahideen

Special police officer (SPO) Adil Bashir Sheikh, who decamped with eight weapons from the residence of PDP MLA Aijaz Ahmad Mir on Friday, has formally joined the Hizbul Mujahideen. A photograph of Adil with Shopian-based Hizbul commander Zeenat-ul-Islam and three other terrorists was posted on social media and circulated on WhatsApp groups in the Valley. Another photograph purportedly shows the stolen weapons.

Adil, who hails from the Zainpora area of Shopian district, was engaged as an SPO in 2017 and was posted at the residence of Mir, the Wachi MLA. Sources said he was also working there as a cook. "He had a shady past before being recruited. Adil was involved in stone pelting in Shopian before he was recruited in the police," an official said.

Meanwhile, a massive manhunt has been launched to nab Adil and to recover the stolen weapons. "Adil had been in touch with terrorists. The entire conspiracy was hatched in a systematic manner. A civilian in Srinagar helped him steal the weapons," said a police officer.