Zubir Qayoom was one of the assasination suspect of Kashmiri journalist Sujaat Bukhari. He is belived to be an over ground worker of proscribed terrorist organization Lashker-e-Taiba and close aide of pakistan based millitant commander Naveed Jutt. The sole suspect arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir police in connection with the killing of the Editor of Rising Kashmir Shujaat Bukhari was giving a tough time to interrogators. A source in the security establishment said the accused, Zubir Qayoom, was present at the scene of crime for almost three hours before Bukhari was killed. The official said Qayoom destroyed his mobile phone hours before the murder and dumped it in a location far away from the Press Enclave area. “He bought a new phone and SIM on the day of the murder. But no calls have been made and no Internet data has been consumed.” “He is hardened and refused to divulge any information.” said the official.
On June 14, Mr. Bukhari, 50, was killed when he was leaving his office for iftar. Three attackers emerged at the busy Press Enclave and pumped 16 bullets into him before fleeing away. One of them first opened fire with an automatic weapon at the Personal Security Officer (PSO) driver, and the other two fired upon Mr. Bukhari and another PSO, killing them on the spot.
Qayoom, the fourth suspect was arrested a day later. He stayed at the assassination scene and was seen in a video snathing a pistol of the policeman shot.
“He had no business to be there. He has not been able to explain his presence there. It was a meticulously planned murder. They watched Mr. Bukhari for several days before killing him. They knew where the PSOs sat in the vehicle and what would have been their reaction in case of an attack,” said the official. The pistol and the clothes he wore on the day of crime have been recovered.
The official said there was a strong suspicion that some associates of the attackers videographed the murder and knew the escape routes where there was no police deployment. The J&K police had released two pictures captured on CCTV camera and asked the public to identify the three suspects on a motorcycle. Their faces are concealed and they carried a bag.