Rajasthan ATS officer instrumental in arrest of IS-sympathiser, kills self, paramour

A Rajasthan ATS officer, who played a prominent role in the arrest of an IS-sympathiser Mohammed Sirajuddin in 2015, allegedly committed suicide after killing his 24-year-old paramour with his service pistol at Jagatpura, police said on Friday.

It appears that ASP at the Anti-Terrorism Squad, Ashish Prabhakar, first murdered Poonam Sharma and then committed suicide in an SUV late on Thursday night near the under-construction Bombay Hospital, DCP South Manish Agarwal said, adding the victims had bullet wounds at their foreheads.

The officer after murdering the woman informed the police control about the crime, police said.“He left two suicide notes in his briefcase. One for his wife where he apologised for choosing the wrong path and said Poonam was blackmailing him. In the other, he named six to seven persons- with whom the woman was in touch,” the DCP said.

Prabhakar also mentioned that Poonam had spoilt his life and she should be punished, he said. The victims met in 2013 at a coaching centre where Poonam, who was divorced in 2011, was preparing for her civil services examinations, police said.

“The forensic team has found two bullet shells, seven bullets in Prabhakar’s pistol and two beer bottles near the SUV,” Agarwal said, adding police are probing why he had mentioned the persons in his note.

The post-mortem was conducted on Firday but we are yet to receive the report, the DCP said.“Prabhakar was instrumental in the arrest of Mohammad Sirajuddhin, an IS-sympathiser December last. The NIA had filed a charge-sheet in July and maintained all the sections of the Unlawful (Activities) Prevention Act,” he said.

The officer is survived by his wife and two sons, who are in Class V and VII.