SRINAGAR: A growing number of women, including young girls and married women, have reportedly gone missing from different parts of Kathua district in Jammu and Kashmir over the past year, with a majority of cases emerging from the Billawar subdivision. The trend has raised concern among residents and prompted calls for a closer investigation.
According to a report published by Jammu-based newspaper Daily Excelsior, several missing complaints have been registered in recent months at police stations in Billawar, Kathua, Basohli and Hiranagar. Police have also issued multiple Look Out Notices (LONs) through newspapers seeking public assistance in tracing the missing women.
The report said fresh cases continue to surface every month, with local residents claiming that six to seven new incidents are being reported regularly. The missing persons belong to different communities and age groups, including unmarried girls and married women from rural and hilly areas.
Police sources quoted in the report said that in some cases women had been traced and reunited with their families, though details regarding those still missing were not disclosed. Senior Superintendent of Police Kathua Mohita Sharma could not be contacted for comment despite repeated attempts, the report added.
Local residents expressed concern over the recurring incidents and demanded a comprehensive inquiry into the pattern of disappearances. Some villagers alleged that vulnerable young women from remote areas could be getting exploited or lured by anti-social elements.
Billawar MLA Satish Kumar Sharma told the newspaper that he did not have complete details about the issue but acknowledged that the hilly region faced several social challenges.
The repeated incidents have triggered anxiety among families across the district, particularly in the Billawar and Basohli areas, where a large number of missing complaints have reportedly been registered over the past several months.
