Srinagar: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday arrested a suspect in the 1989 abduction case of Rubaiya Sayeed, daughter of the then Union Home Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, an official statement said.
This is the first arrest the CBI has made during its investigation after the case was handed over to the central investigation agency.
As per an agency statement, the CBI has arrested Shafat Ahmad Shangloo, a resident of the Hawal area and currently living in Ishber Nishar in Srinagar, in connection with the 1989 Rubaiya Sayeed abduction case.
Shangloo, son of Saif-ud-Din Shungaloo, was taken into custody by the CBI from Police Station Nishat earlier on Monday.
“The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested an absconder, Shafat Ahmed Shangloo, wanted in a 35-year-old CBI case relating to the kidnapping of Dr Rubiya Sayeed, D/o Shri Mufti Mohd. Sayeed, EX Home Minister. The said accused Shangloo conspired with Yasin Malik and others in committing a crime under various sections of the RPC and TADA Act during the year 1989,” the CBI statement said.
The absconder is carrying a reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head, it added.
Shungloo will be produced before the TADA Court Jammu, within the stipulated time as per law, the statement said.
The arrest comes as part of the CBI’s ongoing probe into the decades-old abduction, which remains one of the most high-profile criminal cases in Jammu and Kashmir.
Official sources also said that the CBI conducted raids at the homes of two former Kashmir Divisional Commissioners and seven other people.
These operations were carried out to collect evidence and ensure that the investigation moves forward without any hindrance.
Sources said the moves were part of a careful and legal procedure in this long-standing case. The kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed, then the daughter of Sayeed, took place on December 8, 1989, in Srinagar city.
She was abducted by the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, and Rubaiya Sayeed has already identified Yasin Malik as one of her key abductors. The JKLF demanded the release of its five arrested terrorists, and the then V.P. Singh government agreed to the demand to have Rubaiya Sayeed released from the abductors.
The case has remained significant due to its political and historical context and the challenges in bringing the accused to justice.
Experts believe that the latest arrest and raids indicate a renewed focus by the CBI and could bring fresh developments in the case.
Investigation in this case continued for more than 30 years after the abduction.
Monday’s arrest marks a significant step in a case that has remained unresolved for over three decades and continues to attract attention across the country.
(IANS)
