Srinagar:
The bodies of three civilians, including a 14-year-old child, were found in Jammu & Kashmir’s Kathua district on Saturday, three days after they went missing in a terrorist-infested area.
According to police sources, Yogesh Singh, Darshan Singh and the minor boy Varun Singh were on their way to attend a marriage ceremony when they went missing in Billawar town on Wednesday evening.
A massive search operation by the Army and police was launched to trace the missing people, one of whom contacted his family two days back, saying they had lost their way in the forest while coming back.
Their bodies, however, were found through drones in a water body near Lohai Malhar area, the sources said. The cause of their death would be known only after a postmortem, they added.
While Yogesh and Darshan were residents of Marhoon, Varun was from Dehota – all in Billawar.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson RS Pathania alleged a “cold blooded murder” by the terrorists. “Prima facie, the evidence suggests that this entire mass murder was perpetuated by militants. One thing I want to assure is that the perpetrators will not go unpunished. Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, terrorism is on its last leg,” he said.
BJP legislator Satesh Sharma had raised the issue in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Friday. “I want to inform the House about three missing civilians. We seek answers from the government,” he said.
Sources said the area has a large presence of terrorists and has witnessed multiple terror attacks in the last two years. Last month, two civilians were also found dead in the same area.
