Kingpin was assisted by his children, chosen friends 

Crucified victims online, primed them for brutal killing

In a chilling, deliberate manner, Akbar crucified his victims online by profiling them viciously

Wrote detailed notes on his blog on why these persons should be targeted, accused them of betraying Kashmir

It was only a matter of time before these individuals were killed by blood-thirsty terrorists In Kashmir Valley, targeting the people on the basis of their political ideology has been an old pattern. The stooges of Pakistan have spilled the blood of Kashmiris for decades. One such website targeting and vilifying innocent Kashmiris for about four years now was Kashmirfight.wordpress.com. This was a dark, intimidating blog that issued threats to eminent Kashmiris.

The Chilling Details For Shujaat Bukhari, Others

In the first half of 2018, the blog on Shujaat Bukhari began circulating on Kashmirfight.wordpress.com. Even a casual read of the blog made it evident that the person(s) who had written the blog was a Kashmiri. The writing carried such specific details that it was chilling.

A major feature of the blog was that it damned and maligned the target. One immediately felt scared that it read like a death sentence for the person who was targeted in it.

The blog of Kashmirfight.wordpress.com on Shujaat Bukhari went viral in Kashmir. A close friend of Shujaat later revealed in a news report that he (Shujaat) was in deep panic over what seemed like a clear plot to kill him. Going by the expansive details given in the blog and the smearing of Shujaat as a “traitor to the movement,” Shujaat’s panic was understandable. One was instantly fearful that some hot-headed terrorists would decide to supposedly dole out justice and kill the man whom the blog had crucified online. The blog had similarly targeted Babur Qadri, an advocate and vilified the character of Satpal Nischal. All three men were later assassinated by terrorists.

Kingpin Of Blog Was MC Secretary

The revelation regarding the identity of the kingpin of the blog has sent shockwaves across Kashmir. The mastermind behind the blog was Sofi Mohammad Akbar, who was arrested by the police.

Sofi has occupied various important positions in Srinagar Municipal Corporation. He has served as Ward Officer, Chief Sanitation Officer, Chief Enforcement Officer. He was currently Secretary/Chief Revenue Officer of Srinagar Municipal Corporation, drawing a handsome salary plus perks. Sofi’s arrest has brought into sharp focus the rot within the system, deeply infested by traitors and terror conspirators.

The police have revealed in detail that Sofi Akbar and gang adopted a specific template for all their targets. They published the name of the victim. He was elaborately profiled, giving detailed justification as to how and why he is a legitimate target for the terrorists. Subsequently, the terrorists executed the man.

In this way, Sofi and gang cold-bloodedly set up the killings of eminent Kashmiris.

Nightmare For Security Agencies

The blog run by Sofi Akbar had become a nightmare for security agencies. The bloggers were using advanced technology, so the police were not able to trace them. On account of its malevolent content and intention, the blog had been banned by the government and could not be accessed within India.

On July 17, J&K Police conducted multiple raids in Srinagar, Pulwama and Poonch to arrest the persons running the blog. Raids were carried out in Sanat Nagar and Raj Bagh in Srinagar, Batpura in Hazratbal, Poonch in Jammu Division and Hawal in Pulwama. Houses belonging to five persons were searched.

IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar said that the blog was being run by a white collar terrorist syndicate whose task was to prepare a strategic hit list of Kashmiris. The targets were government officers, journalists, social activists, lawyers, political functionaries and others. 

The blog maligned all those who were supposedly responsible for harming the Pakistan-supported terrorist programme in Kashmir with the eventual aim of secession of Jammu and Kashmir from the Indian union and its eventual annexation with Pakistan, said IGP Vijay Kumar.

He expressed hope that with the arrest of the gang, more details would come to the fore regarding the plans behind the murders of Shujaat Bukhari, Babar Qadri and businessman Satpal Nischal.

During the multiple raids from the houses of the accused, police recovered a large number of cell phones, digital storage devices and computing platforms.

The five persons arrested by the police following the operation are Nazish Yasrab Rehmani and Tabish Akbar Rehmani from Sanat Nagar, Sofi Mohammed Akbar from Rajbagh, Peerzada Raqif Makhdoomi from Batpora, Hazratbal and Javed Khalid from Poonch.

Corruption cases against Sofi Akbar

Several cases of corruption and illegal appointment of consolidated workers are pending against Sofi Akbar. The Anti Corruption Bureau has registered a case against Sofi for his involvement in the facilitation of illegal construction by a famous hotelier in Raj Bagh.

Sofi’s Son, Daughter Are Gang Members

Nazish Yasrab Rehmani and Tabish Akbar Rehmani, both arrested in connection with the case, are the daughter and son respectively of Sofi from his first wife Nasreena Akbar. Javed Khalid is the fiancé of Sofi’s daughter. Sofi has married thrice. He has properties in Rajbagh, Sanat Nagar, Peerbagh, Pulwama and at various other places. These properties have been acquired by resorting to illegal and malafide practices.

Nazish Yasrab Rehmani is a resident of Botshah Colony, Sanat Nagar. She, her brother and mother stay together. Nazish is a law graduate from KC Law College, Jammu. She is not employed, and was currently working with Sofi on the vicious blog.

Tabish is also law graduate from Pulwama. He was presently working with a firm named Gyokai Projects Private Ltd.

Javed Khalid belongs to Poonch. He too is a graduate from KC Law College, Jammu. He is practicing law at Jammu.

Peerzada Rakif Makhoomi is a resident of Batpora, Hazratbal. He is pursuing a degree in law from Kashmir Law College, Nowshahra, Srinagar. Rakif posted highly radical content on his social media handles. Recently, his Twitter handle was suspended for violating rules.

Close links of gang member with former Srinagar Deputy Mayor

Rakif Makhoomi is very close to Sheikh Mohammad Imran, controversial former Deputy Mayor of Srinagar Municipal Corporation. In a video which went viral, Sheikh Mohammad Imran admitted having links with terrorists, separatist leaders and Pakistan’s ISI.