Mufti kin ‘abducted’, returns

A day after militants made an unsuccessful bid on the life of J-K CM Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in Anantnag, his relative was ‘‘abducted’’ in Bijbehara on Thursday. But, the CM’s nephew and one Muzamil Ahmad Kakroo, who was also kidnapped, returned after a few hours.

Gunmen entered the house of Sayeed’s cousin Mufti Sharief-ud-Din around 10 am and abducted his son Mufti Sarwar at gunpoint, sources said. The vehicle in which they were abducted was ‘‘intercepted’’ by BSF personnel during a routine check at Awantipora. The two were taken into custody and handed over to police. A BSF spokesman said troops found only Sarwar and Kakroo in the vehicle, which was a stolen one. Sources alleged that inquiries ‘‘revealed’’ that Sarwar and Kakroo were picked up by intelligence personnel of a security agency for questioning. —(PTI)