Court Releases Man After CBI's Mistaken Arrest in 36-Year-Old Kidnapping Case

Shafat Ahmad Shangloo (File Photo)

A court on Tuesday ordered the release of a man arrested by the CBI just one day earlier for alleged involvement in the 1989 kidnapping of Rubaiyya Sayeed, daughter of former Union Home Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, marking a significant embarrassment for the investigative agency.

The Central Bureau of Investigation had claimed Shafat Ahmad Shangloo was a fugitive who had evaded authorities for 36 years.

However, when Shangloo appeared before the court and the CBI requested custody for interrogation, the agency found itself in an uncomfortable position.

During their investigation, the CBI had previously cleared Shangloo of any wrongdoing under Section 169 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Furthermore, his name was notably absent from the official chargesheet filed by the central agency.

"The court rejected the CBI's custody request after finding no evidence against Shangloo in the agency's own chargesheet," explained Anil Raina, Shangloo's legal representative.

The case dates back to December 8, 1989, when militants abducted Rubaiyya Sayeed, daughter of then-serving Union Home Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed.

Her captors released her following negotiations with Central government officials that resulted in the exchange of five JKLF terrorists from prison. Then-Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah had opposed releasing any terrorists during these negotiations.

This negotiation and subsequent release of JKLF members is widely considered a pivotal factor in the rise of separatist sentiment in Kashmir and the significant increase in local recruitment to terrorist organizations.

Farooq Abdullah later alleged that VP Singh's Central government threatened to dismiss his administration if the terrorists were not released in exchange for the Home Minister's daughter.

In 2022, Rubaiya Sayeed, testifying as a prosecution witness, identified imprisoned JKLF leader Yasin Malik as one of her kidnappers. Malik is currently serving a life sentence in a terror funding case.

Raina emphasized that during the kidnapping investigation, the CBI found no evidence implicating Shangloo.

Following his release, Shangloo stated that he had never been a fugitive and characterized the court's decision as a triumph of truth. "Justice has been served by the court. I have been set free," he said.

The Rubaiyya Sayeed kidnapping case was reopened in January 2021 after a TADA court in Jammu ordered charges to be framed against Yasin Malik and nine others.