Srinagar, July 19 -- A 25-year-old man who was set to be married next month was killed by a suspected thief posing as a security forces official who stormed his house on the pretext of a search operation in Qazigund on Thursday.

The slain was identified as Zahid Ahmad Banday. He was attacked with a sharp-edged weapon during what turned out to be a staged raid at his residence. The accused, identified as Naseer Ahmad Sheikh, a resident of a nearby village, reportedly entered the house dressed in a security forces uniform, carrying a pistol, a dagger, and a walkie-talkie to pass himself off as an armed forces operative.

According to locals, Sheikh claimed that security forces had cordoned off the area based on inputs about suspected terro...