Bullet-riddled bodies of two missing SPOs found in Jammu; service weapons missing

Jammu: The bullet-riddled bodies of two missing Special Police Officers (SPOs) were recovered from Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district early Thursday, a day after they went missing from the remote Dachhan area, officials said.

According to PTI, the deceased were identified as Babi Chand (57) and Rashpal Kumar (45), both posted with the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the local police at Kiyar village in Dachhan. They went missing on Wednesday while travelling from their camp to an Army post at Dharna-Marwah. Their service weapons were missing from the scene, raising suspicions of a possible militant angle, the officials said.

The two SPOs' mobile phones were initially reachable but were later switched off, prompting security agencies to launch an extensive search operation across the forested upper reaches of Dachhan. Security forces deployed additional police and Army personnel, along with specialised teams equipped with drones and sniffer dogs, to search the dense forests and difficult mountainous terrain. The operation was expanded to cover a wider area around Kiyar and the route towards Dharna-Marwah.

Drones were used to scan inaccessible stretches, while sniffer dogs assisted ground teams in tracking possible movement. Search parties also combed natural trails and remote pockets to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident. Kishtwar has remained a focus of counter-insurgency operations, with security forces continuing efforts to eliminate the remaining terrorist presence in its remote and forested areas.

Meanwhile, security forces arrested a person and recovered two hand grenades from him in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district, police said on Thursday. The suspicious individual, identified as Ghulam Jeelani Reshi, was apprehended from the Baderkote forest area of Tangmarg in the north Kashmir district.

Search operation resumes for terrorists after CRPF post attack
The security forces on Thursday resumed the search operation in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district to track down two terrorists who attacked a CRPF post on Wednesday, injuring three personnel, one of them critically, officials said.

The two heavily armed men emerged from a dense cluster of trees and opened fire at a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) post near Mir Bazar around 2.15 pm. The spot is about 75 km from Srinagar and a kilometre from the strategic Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.

The attackers fled into the forested area after the assault, prompting security forces to launch a massive cordon and search operation. The search resumed on Thursday morning, with security forces erecting barricades and deploying armoured vehicles at several locations across the district.

Vehicles are being checked and frisked at security checkpoints as forces maintain a tight vigil. Security agencies are also using human and technical intelligence to track down the attackers, officials added.

According to available figures, five people, including four terrorists and an Army soldier, were killed in terror-related incidents in 2026. In 2025, the toll stood at four, comprising three terrorists and an Army soldier. In 2024, three security personnel and two civilians lost their lives.