The body recovered by the police from an orchard in Dangam area of south Kashmir’s Shopian district has been identified as the missing panchayat member from Khonmoh area of Srinagar, reports said on Friday.
Official sources told news agency GNS that the body was buried and was spotted by some passersby who informed the police. Later a police team reached the spot and recovered it, they said.
“The body has been identified as Nissar Ahmad Bhat of Khonmoh,” said the report quoting sources.
The family of the panch had already filed a report with the police, stating that Bhat left for Shopian on August 19 and was missing since.
Last week, militants released a purported audio clip in which they claimed to have killed the panch and said that they “did not return the body due to covid-19 pandemic.”
Police declined to comment on the purported audio.