BSF Trooper Goes Missing in Srinagar Amid Heightened Security Operations
Missing BSF Trooper in Srinagar
Srinagar, August 1: A member of the Border Security Force (BSF) has reportedly gone missing from his battalion's headquarters located in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir.
According to officials, the trooper, Sugam Choudhary, who is part of the 60th BSF battalion, was last seen at the battalion headquarters on Thursday evening.
"A large-scale search operation has been initiated to locate the missing trooper, who was assigned to the Panthachowk region of Srinagar. Despite extensive searches in the surrounding areas, he has not yet been found," officials stated.
A report regarding his disappearance has been filed, and an investigation is currently in progress, they added.
It remains unclear whether the trooper's absence is a voluntary act or if there are other underlying factors contributing to his disappearance.
Further updates are anticipated as the investigation and search efforts continue.
Security forces are currently on high alert in the union territory following the announcement of Operation Sindoor by New Delhi, aimed at retaliating against the killing of 26 civilians by Pakistan-backed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists on April 22 in Pahalgam's Baisaran meadow.
In a related operation, all three Pakistani terrorists responsible for the April 22 civilian deaths were neutralized by joint forces during Operation Mahadev on July 28 in the upper regions of Dachigam National Park, near the Mahadev mountain peak in the Harwan area of Srinagar district. The deceased terrorists included LeT commander Suleman Shah along with his associates, Abu Humza and Jibran Bhai.
The security forces are intensifying their anti-terror operations in Jammu and Kashmir, focusing on terrorists, their overground workers (OGWs), and sympathizers.
Additionally, drug traffickers and peddlers are also under scrutiny, as intelligence agencies believe that funds generated through illegal hawala transactions and drug smuggling are being funneled into supporting terrorism in the region.
The strategy has shifted from merely eliminating terrorists to dismantling the entire support system of terrorism in the union territory.