Missing since August, Kashmiri teen’s picture with gun in hand goes viral

The teenager, a resident of Hajin, had gone missing in August and had not been traced since. Police had said that the boy joined militancy immediately after he went missing along with another youth.

A picture of a Kashmiri teenager holding a gun in hand has gone viral on social media months after he went missing from his home in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district.

Smoke billows during clashes between protesters and security forces in south Kashmir's Shopian district. (REUTERS FILE PHOTO)

The teenager, a resident of Hajin, had gone missing in August and had not been traced since. Police had said that the boy joined militancy immediately after he went missing along with another youth.

“He has joined active militancy some 3–4 months back. Now his photos have appeared on social media. He is a teenager below 18,” said superintendent of police, Bandipora, Sheikh Zulfikar.

Local reports said that he was 14-15 years old and disappeared along with another 17-year-old boy on August 31 following an encounter between militants and security forces in which three Lashkar-e-Taiba militants were killed.

The police suspect that the two youths might have joined LeT. “In Hajin, LeT is active,” said the SP.

Their families had made desperate appeals through media for their return but to no avail.