Srinagar: Police on Tuesday claimed that a youth from Srinagar, who went missing during a trekking expedition in Ganderbal district of central Kashmir, has joined the militant ranks.
“Yes. He has joined,” Inspector General of Police (Kashmir) Vijay Kumar told reporters at the wreath-laying ceremony held for a CRPF man who was killed in an encounter with militants in Pulwama district earlier on Tuesday.
Kumar was responding to a question whether the youth, Hilal Ahmad Dar, had joined the militant ranks.
The IGP, however, refused to divulge more details about Dar’s joining the militants.
Dar had gone on a trekking expedition to Naranag in Ganderbal district along with his friends on June 13 and has been reported missing since then.
There were speculations that he was one of the three militants killed in an encounter with security forces on June 21 in the Zoonimar area of the city.
The family of the missing youth has denied that Dar had any links with the militants. They claimed that he was working in a private company in Gurgaon and had returned home only due to the coronavirus lockdown.
