CRPF jawan robbed, goes missing on way to Srinagar

According to Hrilrothang’s uncle Sang, the jawan reached Delhi on July 13 and informed his father from a PCO that his belongings had been stolen. “He said his mobile phone, ATM cards, identity proof, money etc., had all been lost. So, his elder sister, who is a nurse, contacted some of her friends in Delhi, who came to his help. They took him home with them, while we arranged for money to be sent to him in Delhi,” Sang told Newsline over phone from Manipur.

On July 26, Hrilrothang boarded the train to Jammu at 8 pm and informed his father. He had, by then, bought a phone and a pre-paid SIM. On reaching Jammu the next day at 8 am, he again called his father from a PCO.

“Pre-paid phones do not work in Jammu and Kashmir. But we were not aware of it. So, Hrilrothang called us from a local pay phone. That was the last time we had any contact with him. A week later, on August 2, one of his friends called home to ask why he had not reported at the battalion. That is when we came to know he was missing,” Sang said.

On August 8, the jawan’s father reported the matter to the nearby police station in Churachandpur.

Recalling that his nephew always wanted to join the forces, Sang said the jawan’s grandfather too had been a soldier in the Indian Army. “Our father was a hawaldar and served till 1960. Hrilrothang’s elder brother works with Indian Reserve Police (IRP). He is unmarried. He neither drinks nor smokes. I wonder where he is now,” Sang said.

The family is in touch with CRPF officers and the commandant of the battalion. “They are also trying to locate him, but have been unsuccessful,” he said.

CRPF Director-General Dilip Trivedi said he was aware of the matter but “had to check the details”. “I do not know the exact details but we will take all possible steps to locate him,” Trivedi said.