Kulgam: In a tragic end to a nearly two-month-long search operation, the body of Mukhtar Ahmad, the third nomadic youth who had gone missing under mysterious circumstances in February, was recovered on Friday from Vaishow Nallah in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district. The discovery marks the final chapter in the case of the three young men who had vanished together, sparking widespread concern and speculation across the Jammu and Kashmir.
Mukhtar Ahmad was reported missing on February 13 along with two others—Adil Ahmad and Showkat Ahmad. While the bodies of Adil and Showkat were recovered from the same stream last month, Mukhtar remained untraceable until today.
Officials confirmed that the body was recovered during a routine inspection of the area, as part of an extended search operation launched after the trio went missing. With the recovery of Mukhtar’s body, the total number of deceased in the case stands at three, all of whom were in their early twenties and belonged to nomadic families in the district.
The mysterious nature of their disappearance and the eventual discovery of their bodies in the same water body have raised serious questions, both among locals and law enforcement agencies. While no foul play has been officially confirmed, the circumstances have not been ruled out either. Police say the investigation is ongoing, and post-mortem reports will be crucial in determining the exact cause of death.
“We are not treating this as a closed case,” a police official told Kashmir News Trust. All possible angles are being explored, including accidental drowning, but given the timeline and location of the recoveries, we are also considering other possibilities.”
Local residents have called for transparency in the investigation and have urged authorities to share details once preliminary findings are available. Some have expressed concern over the safety of nomadic youth who often travel to isolated areas for grazing livestock. [KNT]
