SRINAGAR: The State Investigation Agency (SIA), the specialised investigation wing of the Jammu and Kashmir Police, announced on Saturday that it has achieved a major breakthrough in its ongoing counter‑terrorism operations by securing an Interpol Red Corner Notice (IRCN) against designated Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) commander Imtiyaz Ahmad Kandoo, also known by the aliases Fayaz and Sajad.
The development marks a significant milestone in the investigation of the 2013 Tarzoo, Hygam terrorist attack, one of the most serious assaults on security forces during that period, it said .
The case stems from the deadly ambush on April 26, 2013 at Peer Mohalla in the Hygam area on the outskirts of Kashmiri town Sopore in Baramulla district, where militants armed with automatic weapons attacked a police party, killing four J&K Police personnel. Initially registered at Police Station Tarzoo, Sopore, the case was transferred to SIA Kashmir in 2024 for a comprehensive reinvestigation. Over the years, the SIA has conducted intermittent raids in Srinagar and across Sopore to trace individuals involved in the ambush as well as those suspected of providing them shelter or logistical support.
According to a statement issued by the SIA, the RCN reflects the agency’s painstaking, professional investigation and its determination to ensure that individuals involved in grave acts of terrorism face justice, regardless of where they may be hiding. The notice enables international law‑enforcement agencies to locate, detain, and initiate extradition proceedings against Kandoo so he can stand trial in India.
Following months of meticulous evidence collection, witness examination, and reconstruction of the conspiracy, the SIA filed a detailed chargesheet in July 2024 against six accused persons. Two of them—Tariq Ahmad Mir of Kalamabad, Handwara (Kupwara district), and Qayoom Najar of Batapora, Sopore—were later killed in encounters with security forces. Three others, Javid Ahmad Mattoo of Sopore, Rouf Najar of Sopore, and Ahmadullah Malla of Dalal Mohalla, Srinagar, have been arrested and are currently facing trial. The sixth and main accused, Kandoo, remains absconding and is believed to have exfiltrated to Pakistan.
A resident of Kraltang, Sopore, Kandoo has been an active member and commander of the proscribed HM since 2010. Due to his sustained involvement in terrorist activities, he was declared a Designated Individual Terrorist by the Government of India in October 2022. The SIA’s investigation has conclusively established his central role in the Hygam attack and uncovered his involvement in a wider network of terror operations, the agency said, adding that he is wanted in at least ten additional cases involving targeted killings, attacks resulting in more than 15 deaths, arms smuggling, and narco‑terror financing.
Despite persistent efforts by law‑enforcement agencies, Kandoo had managed to evade arrest for years. The successful issuance of the IRC notice, the SIA said, represents a major operational and investigative achievement, highlighting the agency’s growing capability to pursue complex terror cases, track fugitives across borders, and leverage international policing mechanisms.
The SIA emphasised that it remains resolute in dismantling terrorist ecosystems, pursuing absconding militants and their support networks, and ensuring that those responsible for acts of terror are held accountable through every available legal and international channel.
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