- Two missing SPOs found dead with multiple bullet wounds.
- They disappeared en route to an Army post on Wednesday.
- Weapons were missing; police suspect possible terror angle.
The bodies of two Special Police Officers (SPOs), who went missing from the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, were recovered with multiple bullet wounds, an official told news agency PTI. Their weapons were also missing, raising concerns over the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
The deceased were identified as Babi Chand, 57, and Rashpal Kumar, 45. Both were attached to the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the local police and posted at their Kiyar village camp in Dachhan.
The two personnel had gone missing on Wednesday while travelling from the Kiyar camp towards an Army post at Dharna-Marwah, where they were scheduled to relieve personnel deployed at a Temporary Operating Base (TOB) of the Rashtriya Rifles.
Their bodies were subsequently recovered during the search operation launched after their disappearance. The discovery has raised fresh security concerns in the mountainous district.
Two SPOs Failed To Reach Army Post
According to officials, Chand and Kumar were travelling towards the Army post when they failed to reach their destination. Their mobile phones were initially reachable but were switched off later, triggering concerns about their whereabouts.
Following their disappearance, the police and the Army’s Rashtriya Rifles launched a joint search operation to trace the two personnel.
An SOG team, accompanied by the Station House Officer (SHO), also moved towards the area at around 7 pm as security personnel searched the surrounding locations.
Security Forces Launch Search In Mountainous Terrain
Security teams were deployed across the region, including difficult forest stretches and mountainous terrain, to locate the missing personnel and establish the circumstances behind their disappearance.
Gunshots were also reportedly heard in the area while the search operation was underway, adding to concerns over the incident.
Police have not ruled out a possible terror angle. However, officials had earlier cautioned against linking the disappearance to militant activity before the facts were established.
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