SRINAGAR: Three nomadic labourers, including two brothers, have been missing from the Qazigund area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district for the past three days, their families said on Sunday. The missing men, Riyaz Ahmad Bajad, 25, and his younger brother Showkat Ahmad Bajad, 18, from Chandanpanjan, Qazigund, along with Mukhtar Ahmad Awan from Chowgam, Devsar Kulgam, had left their homes on February 13 to attend a wedding at a relative’s house in Ashmuji, Kulgam. They boarded a tipper truck near Damjan and got off at Mir Bazar, intending to proceed towards their destination on foot, but they never arrived, and their phones have been switched off since.
Originally from Chita Danda Panglar in Rajouri district, the trio have been working as labourers in the area for the past six years. Their disappearance has caused deep distress among their families, who are appealing for help. “They are labourers, and their disappearance is deeply concerning. We request the authorities to find them as soon as possible,” said Najma, the wife of Riyaz Ahmad.
Their families, currently residing in Chandanpanjan, located about a kilometre from the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway at Vessu, have filed a missing persons report at Qazigund police station and are actively searching for them. “There has been no trace of them since that time,” said Riyaz Ahmad Khan, a relative, adding that two of them are married while one is unmarried. The families have urged authorities to intensify efforts to locate them, as their anxiety grows with each passing day.
