‘Mute’ killer loses power of speech

Beijing: A Chinese murderer who pretended to be a mute in an attempt to conceal his past ended up losing the power of speech for real, a local newspaper reported. The man surnamed Zeng left his village in Zhejiang in 2005 after killing his wife’s uncle following a rent dispute. Zeng, then aged 33, pretended to be mute and managed to find a job in another province. But local police eventually became suspicious at Zeng’s lack of identity papers. They ordered a blood test and discovered last October that his DNA closely matched that of the parents of the murderer wanted for 12 years. Zeng confessed in writing. “After 12 years of silence, he can no longer speak,” according to the newspaper. — AFP

Srinagar (India): Government forces have killed the commander of a Pakistan-based militant group in Indian-administered Kashmir, police said, as the disputed territory ended its deadliest year for a decade. Noor Mohammad Tantray, the head in the Kashmir valley of the Jaish-e-Mohammad group, was trapped in a house outside the main city of Srinagar on Monday evening along with his associates, triggering a fierce overnight gunbattle. Police described the operation as a “significant breakthrough” after Tantray’s body was found under debris yesterday. — AFP