Bodies of three youths of Rajouri in Jammu division were exhumed and handed over to their families in this north Kashmir district on Saturday after completing all legal formalities.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) Baramulla, Dr G N Ittoo said that bodies were exhumed in presence of a magistrate and doctors besides family members of deceased youths this morning.
Later, they left for Rajouri under a police escort via Shopian Mughal road. They are likely to reach Rajouri this evening, Dr Ittoo said.
On the direction of the government the bodies were exhumed and handed over to their family members after their DNA samples proved that the deceased Imtiyaz Ahmad, Abrar Ahmad and Mohammad Ibrar were actually labourers from Rajouri who went missing in Shopian on July 17.
Later, on July 18 Army claimed to have killed three unidentified foreign militants in an encounter in Shopian in south Kashmir.
It was only after about a month, the family members of three missing labourers claimed that the deceased were their sons who had gone to Shopian for work.
Police said the bodies were buried in Baramulla after nobody came forward to claim them. However, police said DNA sample of all the three bodies has been collected.
Army immediately ordered an inquiry into the incident while police registered a case and initiated proceedings. However, the case received priority after Lt Governor Manoj Sinha assured that justice will be done in the case.
A team was rushed to Rajouri and DNA samples of all the three families collected which later matched with the DNA of deceased youths.
Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbagh Singh and Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar later announced that bodies will be exhumed and handed over to their families after legal formalities.
Police has already arrested two informers who had provided information to Army that they are militants.