Jammu: Two boys have gone missing in Kathua district, which recently witnessed the mysterious deaths of five civilians prompting the authorities to launch a probe.
A police officer said on Tuesday that the two boys – Deen alias Dinu (15) and his relative Rehmat Ali (12) had gone missing on February 27 after they had gone to graze their cattle at Bhamberwan.
Police have constituted teams to trace the boys and their photos are being circulated to gather clues.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Shiv Kumar Sharma has directed police officers to liaise with other districts, deras, and the relatives of the two boys in Punjab, Jammu, and Udhampur to trace the missing boys.
The DIG met with the families of the missing boys and assured them that all possible measures would be taken to locate them.
Kathua has been in the news after the bodies of 15-year-old Varun Singh, his paternal uncle Yogesh Singh (32), and maternal uncle Darshan Singh (40) were found in Ishu nullah in the remote Malhar area in the higher reaches of the district on Saturday. The trio had gone missing on March 5.
Last month, the bodies of two other people — Shamsher (37) and Roshan (45) — were found in Kohag village in Kathua district, with postmortem reports indicating strangulation.
The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Monday witnessed a heated debate on the killings in the region.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said in the Assembly that the circumstances surrounding these deaths are under investigation.
“What happened, how it happened and why it happened is a matter of investigation which is going on. Discussing it in the House will not be appropriate,” he said on Monday.
Union minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday pointed to the involvement of terrorists in the killing of three civilians in a remote area in Billawar tehsil of Kathua district.
“The brutal killing of 3 youth by terrorists in Bani area of district Kathua is extremely sad as well as a matter of great concern. There appears to be a deep conspiracy behind spoiling the atmosphere in this peaceful area,” the minister, who represents Udhampur Parliamentary constituency that covers Kathua, said on X.
The killings sparked protest and a shutdown in the area on Sunday.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday ordered a thorough probe into the killing of the three civilians.
