Srinagar: A Kashmiri shopkeeper Aqib Farooq Mir got a jolt today when he found that he was labelled as a newly-recruited militant and his picture was being circulated on social media.
The police, who were alerted immediately after the circulation of the picture, traced Mir, a resident of Beehama in Ganderbal district of central Kashmir, to his shop on the outskirts of the city.
Soon, police checked his previous records and found him clean. A case was registered under various sections to identify the mischief-mongers and in a quick action, police arrested one person, Manzoor Ahmad Ganie, who circulated Mir’s photograph on a WhatsApp group.
The picture was circulated on social media platforms with an intent to cause fear and alarm to the public, describing him as a new militant recruit.
“On verification, it turned out to be a mischief,” a police spokesman said.
The spokesman said on verification it was found that Mir is a respectable citizen and is running a shop in Beehama area of Ganderbal. His family was in stress after the fake news of his joining a militant group appeared on social media.
“Strict action will be taken against the mischief- and rumour-mongers who are trying to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere in the valley,” the spokesman said.
