The civilians went missing on Thursday while heading to a marriage function in Lohai Malhar, a hilly area in Billawar of Kathua district.
Bodies of three civilians, including a minor, who went missing on Friday night, were found near a waterfall in the higher reaches of Jammu region’s Kathua district on Saturday.
Following their disappearance, security forces launched a search operation, and on Saturday, their bodies were spotted with the help of a drone. “Yes, the bodies have been sighted in the upper reaches, but it will take a couple of hours to get a clear picture of what exactly happened to them,” said Kathua senior superintendent of police Shobhit Saxena.
The police were informed by family members that the missing persons were Darshan Singh (40), Yogesh Singh (32), and Varun Singh (15).
Earlier on Friday, BJP MLA Satish Sharma from Billawar brought up the issue of missing civilians in the Lohai Malhar area during the assembly session. As proceedings began, he raised a point of order, urging the government to respond.
“I want to inform you about the three missing civilians. We seek answers from the government,” he said. However, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather said that the Question Hour was in progress and suggested addressing the matter later.
Two civilians, Shamsher (37) and Roshan (45), were found dead on February 16 in Kohag village, Billawar, after venturing there to collect wood. The circumstances surrounding their deaths remain unknown.
