New Delhi: Jammu and Kashmir Police have arrested a man who allegedly provided logistical support to the terrorists involved in the April 22 Pahalgam attack, sources told NDTV on Wednesday evening.
Mohammad Katari was taken into custody following a forensic analysis of weapons and equipment recovered during July’s Operation Mahadev, which saw security forces track and neutralize two gunmen responsible for the massacre of 26 people at Baisaran Valley, a popular tourist destination near Pahalgam.
This marks the first major breakthrough for security forces since Operation Mahadev, highlighting the government’s continued efforts to apprehend all those involved in the Pahalgam attack. A faction of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) had claimed responsibility for the attack.
Operation Mahadev began on May 22, after security forces received intelligence about terrorists hiding in Dachigam, near Srinagar. Over the following weeks, the forces conducted careful surveillance, intercepting encrypted communications on China-origin devices used by the militants. The final assault was launched on July 28, aided by intelligence from a T82 communications device, which helped pinpoint the terrorists’ location.
At 8 a.m., a drone was deployed for visual confirmation. By 9:30 a.m., Rashtriya Rifles soldiers and Special Forces commandos were on the ground, and within 30 minutes, secondary visual confirmation was obtained.
The operation escalated at 11 a.m., with gunfire exchanged. By 11:45 a.m., one injured terrorist was killed while attempting to flee. By 12:45 p.m., all three terrorists had been eliminated, and their identities confirmed, including Suleiman Shah, alias Hashim Musa, the alleged mastermind of the Pahalgam attack.
Shah, a former commando of Pakistan Army’s elite Special Service Group, later joined UN-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed’s LeT to carry out terror operations, sources said.
This arrest and continued pursuit of those involved demonstrate the security forces’ commitment to bringing all perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack to justice.( Inputs from NDTV )
