Srinagar Man Arrested by CBI in Connection with 1989 Rubaiya Sayeed Kidnapping

Srinagar – The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Shafat Ahmad Shungloo, a resident of Srinagar, in connection with the kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed in December 1989. The arrest occurred on Monday, December 1, 2025, and is part of the agency's ongoing investigation into the high-profile case.

Shungloo, son of Saif-ud-Din, who resides in Hawal but currently lives in Ishber Nishat, was taken into custody by the CBI from the Nishat Police Station. While official confirmation from the CBI is still awaited, sources indicate the arrest is linked to Shungloo's alleged role in the abduction. It is not immediately clear whether he has been formally arrested or detained for questioning to advance the investigation.

Rubaiya Sayeed, the daughter of then Union Home Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, was kidnapped on December 8, 1989, by militants from the Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF). At the time of her abduction, Rubaiya was a medical intern at Srinagar's Lala Ded Memorial Women's Hospital and was kidnapped while returning home from the hospital. Her abduction took place just six days after her father assumed the position of Home Minister in the V.P. Singh government.

The JKLF claimed responsibility for the kidnapping shortly after it occurred, demanding the release of five jailed militants in exchange for Rubaiya's freedom. The V.P. Singh government eventually agreed to the demands, and Rubaiya was released on December 13, 1989, after the five militants were freed. This hostage exchange is viewed by many as a turning point that emboldened militant groups, fueled the insurgency in Kashmir, and eroded public trust in political institutions.

The case was later taken over by the CBI, and a trial commenced in 1990. In recent years, the CBI has been actively examining several individuals accused in the case before a designated TADA court in Jammu.

One of the key accused in the case is Yasin Malik, the chief of JKLF, who was a prominent figure in the separatist movement at the time of the kidnapping. Malik, who later renounced violence and entered politics, is currently serving a life sentence after being convicted in a terror-funding case in 2022 by a Delhi court. In the Rubaiya kidnapping trial, Malik faces charges including criminal conspiracy and kidnapping. He has repeatedly refused to engage counsel, telling the court he would not challenge the evidence against him.

Rubaiya Sayeed appeared before the TADA court as a prosecution witness in July 2022, where she identified Yasin Malik as one of her abductors. In February 2023, another prosecution witness corroborated this identification, further implicating Malik and another accused, Mohammad Zaman, in the kidnapping.

Further details from the CBI regarding Shungloo's arrest are currently awaited.