A territorial army personnel was today arrested and sent to two-day police custody by a local court in Kupwara district for his alleged role in abduction of three persons from the north Kashmir district three weeks ago.
Army man Manzoor Ahmad Khwaja, who has been accused of abducting the three men, was arrested by police and produced before a local court in Kupwara today.
"The court has remanded the accused to police custody till December 11," Advocate Bilal Ahmad, the lawyer representing the families of missing persons, told PTI.
Ghulam Jeelani Khatana (42), Mir Hussain Khatana (45) and Ali Muhammad Sheikh (40), all residents of Kupwara district, have been reported missing since November 17 when they had left home reportedly to work as porters with the Army.
The families of the missing person fear for their fate alleging that the modus operandi seemed to be similar to the fake encounter killing of three youth in Macchil in 2010.
The families claim that they were in touch till the end of last month with Manzoor Khwaja, who told them that their kin were engaged in Keran sector as porters by the Army.
However, the soldier allegedly switched off his phone when questioned about the whereabouts of the three men by their family members.
The aggrieved families approached the court yesterday and sought an investigation into the matter.
The Police have registered a case of abduction under section 364 of RPC.
Police and army officials are tight-lipped about the case.
(Reopens NRG 26)
Meanwhile, an army official said that they were cooperating in the police investigation into the alleged abduction case.
"The case of alleged abduction by rifleman Manzoor Ahmad Khawaja is sub judice but the soldier reported to the police whenever required by them.
"The army is extending full cooperation in the ongoing investigations," the official said.
The official dismissed reports of alleged fake encounter in some sections of local media saying, "Army stands by its policy of zero tolerance for human rights violations.
(Reopens NRG 36)
A police spokesman said the relatives of the missing persons were shown photographs of the four militants killed in encounters in Kupwara district since November 15.
"The relatives of these missing persons denied resemblance of (of militants in) these photographs with their kin.
"The process was carried out in presence of independent witnesses," the spokesman said.
