Youth goes missing in Pulwama days after his release from detention

PULWAMA — A 21-year-old youth’s mother-father duo has pleaded with the public and authorities for assistance in finding their missing son in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

Hanan Bin Yaqoob, the son of Mohammad Yaqoob Bhat, a resident of Karimabad Pulwama, has been missing for the past four days. The youth goes by the nickname Saqib at home.

According to the family, Saqib was a student of Government Degree College (Boys) Pulwama. “He was detained under PSA (Public Safety Act) for stone pelting charges and spent about 14 months in custody until being freed on July 19,” his father said.

The family of Saqib, an old couple, is visibly shattered while they come to terms with the harsh reality that their son is no longer with them.

His uncle adds, “He just spent a week or so at home after his release from imprisonment. He also complained of some illness in the meantime. However, relatives, neighbours and even SHO (Station House Officer) Pulwama kept encouraging him to concentrate on his future.”

“He, however, went missing on July 26 when he was at his maternal uncle’s home,” Yaqoob Bhat said.

He further stated, “We have filed a missing report at Police Station Pulwama also in the hope that the police could trace him.”

Pleading with the public to assist them in finding their missing son, the family has given the following phone numbers in case anyone has any information about his whereabouts: 7006250738 and 959686868.