Bodies of Two Missing Police Officers Found with Bullet Injuries in Jammu and Kashmir; Terror Attack Suspected

The bodies of two missing Special Operations Group (SOG) police personnel were recovered in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district on Thursday, raising suspicions of a possible militant attack. The recovery comes a day after a terror attack on a CRPF camp in Kulgam.

According to police sources, the deceased have been identified as 57-year-old Bobby Chand and 45-year-old Rashpal Kumar, also known as Rishipal. Both officers were posted in Kiar village in the Dachhan area and had been missing since Wednesday afternoon.

Their bodies were recovered from the Dherna Chowki area of Kishtwar district on Thursday morning. Initial findings revealed bullet injuries, with one officer shot in the head and the other in the back.

Police said the two officers were carrying an INSAS rifle and a .303 rifle, both of which are missing. Investigators suspect that militants may have killed the personnel and fled with their weapons.

According to sources, the officers were travelling from Kiar village to an Army Rashtriya Rifles camp in Dherna-Marwah on Wednesday afternoon. They had been assigned to relieve personnel deployed at an Army outpost. However, they never reached their destination.

After the two officers failed to report at the camp within the expected time, police and security forces launched a search operation. Around 7 pm, another team led by the SOG officer-in-charge also joined the search.

The area where the officers went missing is surrounded by steep mountains and dense forests. Sources said gunshots were heard several times during the search operation.

A police source further revealed that both officers’ mobile phones remained switched on for some time after they went missing before eventually becoming unreachable.

Security forces have intensified their search in the area, while an investigation is underway to determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths and whether militants were involved.