Srinagar: In less than a month, a second murderous assault has taken place, in broad daylight, in the busy Sarai Bala gold market in Amira Kadal in the heart of Srinagar. This time it was an employee of a gold shop who was attacked, by a man identified as a resident of Budgam district.
Station Head Officer Sher Ganj Police Station, Shahjahan Chowdhary, told Kashmir Reader that the assaulter has been identified as a resident of Keersher Badgam, and is under arrest.
“A case has been registered under Sections 379, 511, and 323 IPC under FIR no 02, 2021. Further investigation is on,” he said.
The attack happened on Friday late afternoon. Chowdhary identified the assaulter as Muzaffar Ahmad Khan, who is in early 30s. As per the initial investigation, he said, it has been found that the assaulter had come to the shop to ostensibly buy a gold chain. On finding that there was only one person in the shop, Muzaffar attacked the employee with an iron rod, injuring him in his head, Chowdhary said.
“He was taken to hospital, and is safe,” he added.
The officer also said that prior to the attack, the assaulter had entered another shop. There he had offered a cheque as a mode of payment, which was refused by the shopkeeper.
“He asked him to pay in cash. On refusal, it led to the cancellation of the purchase. Thereafter he entered another shop, where he attacked the employee. It is a case of fraud and attack,” Chowdhary said.
This was the second murderous assault in the market which is a hub of wholesale gold and textiles merchants. In early January, a 70-year-old jeweller from Punjab who had settled in Srinagar for four decades was shot dead by motorcycle-borne gunmen in the same market. The investigation in that case is still on.

Junaid Nabi Bazaz