Jammu and Kashmir Police have arrested two alleged overground workers (OGWs), including a government school teacher, for allegedly assisting a Pakistani terror module that was eliminated earlier this year in Kishtwar district.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kishtwar Naresh Singh said investigations and targeted operations led to the arrest of Mashkoor Ahmed, a resident of Beighpura in Singhpura and a teacher in the School Education Department. Police said he was directly involved in facilitating a hideout used by terrorists.
“This arrest has disrupted a critical logistics network supporting terrorist activities in the region,” the SSP said.
Police also arrested Maneer Ahmed of Bandeyan Naidgam in connection with the case. Authorities said investigations were continuing to identify and dismantle the wider support network.
The accused were arrested in a case registered at Police Station Chhatru under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), and the Arms Act.
According to police, the accused had allegedly assisted the Saifullah module of Pakistani terrorists that was neutralised during an encounter in Chhatru in February this year.
Security forces, including the Army, Special Operations Group (SOG) of J&K Police, and the CRPF, had launched a joint operation in January to track heavily armed terrorists hiding in the forests of Chhatru. During the operation, forces discovered a secret hideout and a makeshift kitchen stocked with food supplies in the Singhpura area on January 19.
The recovery prompted investigators to trace the source of the supplies and identify those supporting the militants.
The operation, named Trashi-I, continued for over a month and culminated on February 22 with the killing of three Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists in the Passerkut area of Chhatru. One of those killed was reportedly Saifullah, a senior JeM commander. Another militant from the same group was eliminated on February 4.
Police said Saifullah had infiltrated Jammu and Kashmir around five years ago and was allegedly involved in several deadly attacks on security forces, including the July 2024 attack in which four soldiers were killed.
Sources said Pakistan-based terror groups had built networks of OGWs in the mountainous districts of Jammu during recent years. These networks allegedly provided shelter, logistics and guidance to infiltrating terrorists operating in dense forest areas.
Reiterating a “zero-tolerance policy” against terrorism, SSP Singh said police were pursuing an “iron-fisted approach” to eliminate anti-national activities and ensure no support system for terrorists survives in the region.
“J&K Police maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism and its supporters, mounting an unrelenting crackdown and leaving no stone unturned to neutralise threats to peace and sovereignty,” the SSP said.
