According to the picture doing rounds on social media, the youth had joined HM on June 12, just a day after he went missing

SRINAGAR: A youth, who had gone missing from frontier Kashmir district of Kupwara few days ago, has reportedly joined Hizbul Mujahideen (HM), as his picture flaunting an AK-47 rifle has gone viral on social media.

Official sources said a complaint was registered few days ago at a Police Station in Kupwara that one Imtiyaz Ahmad Mir had gone missing after he left home to get stock for his shop on June 11.

"A case was registered and investigation was taken up," they added. However, a picture of Mir brandishing an AK47 assault rifle has gone viral on social media sites, including Facebook and Twitter.

According to the picture doing rounds on social media, the youth had joined HM on June 12, just a day after he went missing.

But, a police official said the details about whether Mir has joined militant ranks or not are being investigated. Mir was running a Photostat shop outside a Government High School in Kupwara.

This is not the first time a youth has announced joining militancy by flaunting assault rifle on social media though the frequency of such incidents has decreased many folds.

In the past, youngsters have announced joining militant ranks by posting their pictures with weapons on social media, including Facebook and Twitter.

Senior police officials have said that there has been a deceased in youth joining militancy during the last couple of months in the valley.

On Friday, four newly-recruited militants, including two from south Kashmir, were arrested by security forces while exfiltrating Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir district of Baramulla.