Gunshots were heard in the forest area around the time two Special Police Officers disappeared during patrol duty in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district on Wednesday according to NDTV.
The missing personnel, identified as Babi Chand and Rashpal Kumar, were attached to the Special Operations Group of the local police and posted at Kiyar village in Dachhan. The two officers were patrolling in the Dachhan-Marwah region along with the Army and were on their way to the Dherna post when they failed to reach their destination, NDTV reported.
The mobile phones of both security personnel were initially reachable before being switched off, raising concerns over their whereabouts. Following their disappearance, police and Army personnel from the Rashtriya Rifles launched an extensive search operation across the mountainous and forested terrain.
Security officials cautioned against hastily linking the disappearance to militant activity, stating that it remains premature to draw definitive conclusions until further details emerge from the ongoing probe.
The incident unfolds against a backdrop of security challenges in the remote district. On October 4, Kishtwar Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Sharma urged residents of Marwah, Warwan, and Dachhan to unite against terrorism and promptly share information regarding suspected militant movements.
The region has witnessed previous security personnel casualties, including the October 16 death of 55-year-old Special Police Officer Bashir Ahmed, who was found dead near his residence in Wanipora Trigam.
“There has been firing on CRPF Naka at Kulgam, Kashmir. Three personnel injured. Operations are going on to nab the perpetrators and best possible treatment is being provided to the injured personnel,” the force said in a statement reported by The Times of India.
Two SPOs missing, major search op underway in Kishtwar | Two Special Police Officers (SPOs) went missing from the higher reaches of Dachhan in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district on Wednesday, prompting security forces to launch a massive joint search operation to trace them,… pic.twitter.com/Gz5z0J4roY
Two Special Police Officers (SPOs) have reportedly gone missing in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district. They had accompanied the Army on operational patrol duty but failed to return. The J&K Police and security forces have launched a search operation to trace them.… pic.twitter.com/deFBhmbQYe
