Rafiabad, Oct 20 (JKNS): In an anguished appeal for the safe return of his daughter, Irshad Ahmad Rather, a resident of Layser, Rafiabad, has urged the authorities and the public to help trace his 15-year-old daughter, Uzma Irshad, who has been missing since Monday afternoon after appearing for an examination at Dangiwacha Higher Secondary School examination centre.
With around 30 hours having passed since her disappearance, the family remains desperate for information about her whereabouts, as the search continues and the circumstances surrounding her disappearance remain unclear.
Speaking to the news agency JKNS, Uzma’s father, Irshad Ahmad Rather, said he had personally dropped her near the examination centre in the morning and left, expecting her to return home by public transport, as she usually did.
“I dropped her myself near the examination centre in the morning. I left after dropping her because she would always return home by public transport. I had no reason to think that anything would go wrong,” he said, recalling the moments before she went missing.
Recounting how the family first realised that Uzma had not returned, Irshad said he received a call from his wife around 3 pm, informing him that their daughter had not yet reached home.
“I told my wife to wait for another 30 minutes. I thought she might have been delayed because of traffic or some other reason. We never imagined that we would be left searching for her like this,” he said emotionally.
However, when the additional half-hour passed and Uzma still did not return, the family’s concern grew.
“When it was around 3:30 pm, my wife called again and said that another 30 minutes had passed, but there was still no sign of our daughter. I immediately shut my shop and started searching for her. We looked for her but could not find any trace, so we went directly to the concerned police station,” Irshad told JKNS.
He said CCTV footage was examined as part of the search, but the family could not establish from the available footage what happened to Uzma after she was seen in the Dangiwacha area.
The father said the family had also been receiving different claims and rumours about his daughter, but none had provided any concrete information about her whereabouts.
“We have heard many things from different people, but nothing concrete has emerged so far. Everyone is saying something different, and we are desperately waiting for some reliable information,” he said.
Remembering his daughter’s departure from home that morning, Irshad said she had left with a happy face to appear for her examination.
“She left home happily in the morning. I had only told her not to feel nervous during her examination. I never thought that the day would turn into such a nightmare for our family,” he said.
With uncertainty continuing to torment the family, Irshad made an emotional appeal to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to intervene and ensure that every possible effort is made to trace his daughter safely.
“I appeal to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to kindly intervene and help us find our daughter. It has been around 30 hours, and we still do not know where she is. We just want her to come home safely,” he said.
He also appealed to the general public to share any information that could help establish Uzma’s whereabouts, urging people not to ignore even the smallest detail that might assist the search.
Meanwhile, Senior Superintendent of Police Sopore, Neha Jain told JKNS that police were investigating all possible angles and examining CCTV footage as part of the efforts to trace the missing girl.
“All angles are being investigated. CCTV footage and other aspects are also being examined. We are also investigating whether she is alone or accompanied by someone, but nothing has been confirmed yet,” the SSP said.
She added that police teams were working to trace Uzma and expressed hope that she would be found safe.
Uzma’s family have yrged public for help, “Anyone with information about Uzma Irshad is requested to contact her family at 7006776361.” (JKNS)
