NEW DELHI: The post-mortem reports of three youths from J&K’s Kathua, who were found dead three days after they went missing, have not revealed any gunshot wound or physical assault, ruling out a “terrorist attack” angle.
The trauma injuries, including to their heads, point to their death by “accidental fall from a height,” said sources.
Sharing this, sources in the J&K govt also told TOI that two more minors, who went missing from the same district — they were reported by their family as missing only a couple of days ago though they have been gone since Feb 28 — had an argument with their family and possibly left home to work elsewhere on daily wages.
This, the sources said, has happened before with the cousins, aged 12 and 15 and both herders, staying away from their family home for days to do daily-wage jobs. The police are making enquiries with their relatives and past employers to trace them.
As per the post-mortem reports of the three Kathua residents — identified as Darshan Singh, 40, Yogesh Singh, 32, and Varun Singh, 15 — whose bodies were discovered on March 8 in a gorge next to a waterfall, the cause of their death was trauma and head injury, purportedly caused by their accidentally slipping in the dark, down a rocky gorge. A backpack carried by one of them got stuck on a branch as they fell. A mobile used by them was also recovered from the spot. A liquor bottle with half of its contents consumed was found, pointing to possible inebriated state of the two adults.
“Their viscera reports are now awaited for further insight into the cause and circumstances of the deaths,” said a source.
Interviews with the family members of the three deceased persons, who were on their way to a wedding in Lohai Malhar, revealed that they were in touch with them over phone till the evening of March 5 and had even communicated that they had lost their way while moving with wedding party. However, a couple of hours later their phones were found to be switched off.
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About The Author
I’m JP, a 26-year-old from Odisha, India 🇮🇳 and the founder of newsxbyte.com 📰. I write articles and news on a variety of topics, including business, finance 💼, and exam updates 📚. With a passion for journalism and digital content, I strive to keep my readers informed and engaged with the latest updates and insights.