Sopore, Sep 13: Contesting the police claim family of Mehraj-ud-Din says that he was arrested on Sunday morning and he had been visiting his Kashmir home every year for past 15 years.
“He used to spend at least two months every year at his home here since 1995. Why didn’t his name figure in the list of accused in hijacking case till date,” the family asked.
“Everyone, even police and neighbours were aware about his presence here at home during his visits for the past 15 years. Why didn’t police arrest him all these years?,” asks Rashid, Meharj’s brother.
Mehraj was suffering from multiple diseases and had recently developed neck cancer. Fearing for his death away from his parents in Nepal, he returned home for better treatment, said Rashid. On September 7, he left Nepal for Kashmir with all the medical reports and prescriptions.
On the morning of September 9, Mehraj reached Jammu, where he had boarded a cab for Srinagar and was scheduled to reach here on the same day in the evening.
“He called us on September 9 morning from the driver’s number and said he will reach home in the evening,” Rashid said.
However, after he didn’t reach home on scheduled time, the family started looking for him. “It was the driver, who informed us that Mehraj, minutes later after he boarded the vehicle, was asked to come down from the vehicle at Katra crossing on Srinagar-Jammu highway by some persons in civvies. He was later bundled in the Maruti Swift car and taken away,” Rashid said.
Mehraj, according to his elder brother Abdul Rashid, had left valley in 1995 to Nepal to avoid harassment from militants to return to their ranks after being released from jail.
Worried about her husband’s whereabouts, Mehraj’s wife, Zeenat told Greater Kashmir over phone from Nepal that Mehraj is innocent and was living a life of a good citizen in Nepal for past 15 years.
“He was suffering from many ailments and left for Kashmir to get good medical treatment in Kashmir,” Zeenat said.
Zeenat said she visited Kashmir twice with her husband and stayed at Sopore home for several months under the gaze of neighbours and local policemen.
Mehraj has two daughters in Nepal and his sister back in Kashmir had died of liver cancer in 2005. His parents are in mid 70s’.

Lastupdate on : Thu, 13 Sep 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 13 Sep 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 14 Sep 2012 00:00:00 IST