A video that showed two youths from Gurez area of north Kashmir’s Bandipora in police custody on charges of spying in Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan has come as a shocker to two families in Achoora village in Kashmir. (Representational Image)

A video that showed two youths from Gurez area of north Kashmir’s Bandipora in police custody on charges of spying in Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan has come as a shocker to two families in Achoora village in Kashmir.

In the video, Feroz Ahmed Lone and Noor Muhammad Wani stated that they were arrested by the Pakistan army after they crossed the Line of Control, and that they were sent for “spying”.

As per police records, Feroz has been missing since 2018; there is no missing persons report about Noor.

After the video was circulated on social media, Bandipora police on Saturday released videos of two family members seeking help of Indian and Pakistani governments to help the two youths return home. “We had been thinking that he is not alive any more. When a friend shared the video yesterday, I was shocked… now we are requesting the government to help him return home,” said Zahoor, Feroz’s brother.

Zahoor said the family had lodged a complaint after Feroz, who was then working for the rural development department, went missing in November 2018. “During investigation, when we found the call details of my brother, (it emerged that) he had spoken to a few people before his phone turned off. We found he was also in touch with a man named Rouf…” he said.

In the video released on Friday, the two youths say Rouf was behind the idea to cross the LoC.

A political leader from Gurez, who is privy to the case, said the police had also questioned a woman. “She was detained and then released. Her family members were also questioned after some reports that Feroz may have been murdered by the woman.”

Srinagar-based Defence spokesperson Colonel Rajesh Kalia did not respond to attempts for a comment. A senior police officer in Bandipora said a report about the matter has been sent to higher authorities .

Noor’s uncle Bashir Ahmad said the family did not even know that he was missing. “He is an orphan and would mostly stay away from home. He hasn’t come home for the last few years because he was working as a labourer. We thought that he may be working somewhere and for that reason we never reported to the police that he is missing,” he said.