No trace of Baramulla youth picked up in Saudi; mom suffers 2 heart attacks

Dehradun: More than a month after Amjad Ali Bhat, 29, from Baramulla in Jammu & Kashmir, allegedly went missing after being picked up from his workplace in Saudi Arabia by defence authorities on March 25, his family has yet to receive any information about his whereabouts.Bhat had been working as nursing staff at a medical facility in Dammam from June last year. His cousin, Mohammed Abass, told TOI on Thursday that the family was under immense stress as no official update had been provided.“Amjad’s 55-year-old mother has suffered two heart attacks in recent days and had to be hospitalized. His elderly father is also in deep distress. We are all worried because we don’t know where he is or in what condition,” Abass said.Abass added that despite repeated communication with the Indian embassy in Riyadh, officials informed the family that they had not received any response from Saudi authorities. “We also contacted the Saudi company where Amjad worked, but they only said a probe was underway. We urge the Indian govt to intervene urgently and ensure Amjad’s safe return,” he said.Earlier, the family had told TOI they suspected Amjad was detained because he had posted a tribute on Facebook to late Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei on March 3, at a time when tensions between Iran and forces of the US and Israel were escalating.