SRINAGAR: A 15-year-old girl has been missing since Monday afternoon after appearing for an examination at Dangiwacha Higher Secondary School examination centre in north Kashmir’s Rafiabad, prompting her family to appeal to the authorities and the public for help in tracing her.
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Uzma Irshad, a resident of Layser in Rafiabad, went missing after her father, Irshad Ahmad Rather, dropped her near the examination centre on Monday morning. Around 30 hours after her disappearance, the family was still awaiting concrete information about her whereabouts.
Rather said he had dropped his daughter near the examination centre and left, expecting her to return home by public transport, as she usually did.
He said his wife called him at around 3 pm to inform him that Uzma had not returned home. He initially asked her to wait another 30 minutes, thinking the girl might have been delayed by traffic or other reasons.
“When it was around 3:30 pm, my wife called again and said that another 30 minutes had passed, but there was still no sign of our daughter. I immediately shut my shop and started searching for her,” he said.
After failing to trace her, the family approached the concerned police station, he said.
Rather said CCTV footage had been examined as part of the search, but the family had been unable to establish what happened to Uzma after she was seen in the Dangiwacha area.
He added that different claims and rumours had circulated about his daughter, but none had provided reliable information about her whereabouts.
Recalling the morning she went missing, Rather said Uzma had left home in a cheerful mood to appear for her examination.
He appealed to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to intervene and ensure that all possible efforts were made to trace his daughter safely.
“It has been around 30 hours, and we still do not know where she is. We just want her to come home safely,” he said, urging members of the public to share any information that could help locate her.
Senior Superintendent of Police Sopore Neha Jain said police were investigating all possible angles and examining CCTV footage as part of the efforts to trace the missing girl.
“All angles are being investigated. CCTV footage and other aspects are also being examined. We are also investigating whether she is alone or accompanied by someone, but nothing has been confirmed yet,” Jain said.
She said police teams were working to trace Uzma and expressed hope that she would be found safe.
The family has appealed to anyone with information about Uzma’s whereabouts to contact them at 7006776361. (JKNS)