Two missing policemen found dead with bullet wounds in J-K's Kishtwar
Officers were reportedly accompanying an Army patrol when they came under attack. Their INSAS and .303 rifles were missing
Days after two Special Police Officers (SPOs) went missing during a patrol in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district, their bodies were recovered from the Dherna post in the remote Dachhan-Marwa of Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday (November 12) morning. Bullet wounds were found on the bodies.
According to an NDTV report, the officers, identified as Rashpal Kumar (40) and Babi Chand (54) had a bullet wound on the head and the other one was shot in the back.
What probe revealed
The report further stated that a search operation was launched to find the deceased following a message about their disappearance. The bodies were found after several hours of searching.
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According to preliminary investigation, the two SPOs were heading towards Dherna post when they were ambushed by terrorists. The report further stated that the deceased were on patrol with the Army and had been heading to the post to relieve two colleagues on duty.
The INSAS and .303 rifles carried by the officers were missing, stated the report, adding that the attackers are suspected to have taken the weapons after killing them.
Weapons missing
Gunshots were heard in the area during the day, stated the report, quoting sources. Although the mobile phones of the two SPOs were initially reachable, both phones were later switched off, raising concern among their colleagues.
A search party was deployed when the SPOs failed to return, following which their bodies were recovered from the Dherna Top area.
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In the wake of the incident, police and security forces have intensified a joint operation to track down the attackers.
Kishtwar has remained a focus of counter-insurgency operations, with security forces targeting terrorists in its remote, forested areas. Several active terrorists have been reportedly killed in successive operations across the district, reducing their presence.
SPO's murder in October
The latest killings come weeks after another SPO, Bashir Ahmed (55), was found dead near his home in Wanipora Trigam, Kishtwar, on October 16.
Ahmed was posted at the Pedil Police Post. He had gone missing while returning home from duty with his service-issued Self-Loading Rifle (SLR) and magazine.
Police later found that Ahmed had been murdered by relatives over an ongoing land dispute.