SRINAGAR: In a village still draped in wedding preparations, grief now hangs heavier than celebration. What was meant to be the beginning of a new chapter for 25-year-old Zahid Ahmad Banday turned into a night of horror when a man dressed as a security personnel entered his home under the pretext of a search operation and stabbed him to death. The accused, now in police custody, had masqueraded as part of an anti-militancy cordon in South Kashmir’s Qazigund.
Locals said it was around 1:30 am when the accused, Naseer Ahmad Sheikh, clad in a black commando-style uniform, with a pistol, a dagger, and a walkie-talkie, entered the Banday household. With the confidence of authority, he ordered the family to surrender their mobile phones and gathered them outside, claiming that a cordon had been laid due to militant movement in the area.
“Initially, it seemed real,” said Suhail Ahmad Banday, Zahid’s cousin. “We have seen these operations before, so we complied. But Zahid grew suspicious when he saw the intruder searching personal trunks and asking for keys. That’s when he confronted him.”
A scuffle broke out. In the chaos, Zahid was stabbed with a sharp weapon and collapsed, bleeding heavily. Before fleeing, the impersonator jumped from the second floor, injuring his leg. He was caught by vigilant neighbours who had by then gathered, drawn by the commotion. The accused was handed over to police.
Eyewitnesses now say the accused had first visited another home nearby, of Showkat Ahmad Sheikh, and used the same ruse to convince him to help ‘escort’ the Bandays for the operation. Some residents believe Naseer may be part of a larger gang simulating search ops to loot homes.
“It is too elaborate to be the act of a lone thief. He had a full kit, a plan, and nearly got away,” said Bashir Ahmad Bhat, a neighbour who helped restrain the accused. “He even checked for CCTV cameras. Zahid could have been alive had he not shown courage, but he saved us all by exposing the lie.”
Police have not yet released a full account but confirmed the man is in custody and is being questioned for impersonation, criminal conspiracy, and murder. Investigators are also probing whether the uniform and equipment were acquired with outside help.
Zahid’s house, once filled with wedding chatter, is now the site of mourning. The family is inconsolable, the tragedy underscored by unwrapped wedding gifts and undelivered invitation cards.
“This has shaken the village,” said Suhail. “We live with the routine presence of security personnel. But now even that feels unsafe. The uniform was used to kill, and the trust was shattered.”
The community is now calling for strict accountability and deeper checks on the misuse of military impersonation, a fear that has long haunted conflict-torn Kashmir but rarely struck this close to home.
