Srinagar, Dec 20,: Hazratbal police in Srinagar on Saturday recovered the body of a lady from the waters near Dhobighat Hazratbal, prompting an immediate investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding her death.
Police said the body, initially unidentified, was retrieved after it was spotted floating near the ghat area. Officers later established the identity of the deceased as Maina Farooq, daughter of Farooq Ahmed Lone, an inhabitant of Gulab Bagh in Tral, Pulwama. She was believed to be around 24 years old.
According to officials, the cause of drowning remains unclear and no preliminary indications have yet pointed to whether the incident was accidental or involved external factors. The body was taken for medico-legal formalities after identification.
A case has been registered and an investigation has been initiated to ascertain the sequence of events, including how and when the deceased entered the water. Police teams are examining the area and are likely to collect CCTV footage from nearby points along the lakefront to establish the timeline.
Sources told the news agency Kashmir News Trust, the deceased had gone missing on December 17 as she was reportedly suffering from depression. The family sources said that the deceased was an Aalima who had left home and didn’t return. The family had appealed to the general public for help in locating her. [KNT]
