Udhampur: Security forces across Jammu and Kashmir launched extensive search and cordon operations in the dense forest belts of Rajouri and Udhampur districts on Sunday following specific intelligence regarding the movement of suspected terrorists. Joint teams comprising the Indian Army and the Jammu and Kashmir Police mobilized to comb vulnerable ridgelines and woodland corridors across multiple sectors.
The primary operation was triggered late Saturday night after three suspected terrorists abducted a local resident, Anil Sudan, near his residence at Upper Lardia in Rajouri’s Sunderbani sector. Officials stated the armed suspects forced Sudan to act as a guide through unfamiliar terrain before releasing him unharmed around 3:15 AM near the Dua Khad forest. Upon his release and debriefing, joint security detachments rushed to the vicinity to initiate tracking procedures, though no direct contact had been established with the group as of Sunday afternoon.
Simultaneously, troops established a tight cordon around the Mandugala Dhok forest belt in Rajouri after villagers reported sighting two suspicious individuals clad in black attire, carrying tactical backpacks and automatic weapons. A third search drive was activated concurrently at Chigli Keya village in Udhampur district to rule out potential hideouts and infiltration corridors.
The intensified sweeps follow heightened security across the Jammu division, coming weeks after a major gunfight on September 17 in Udhampur’s Majalta area where security personnel neutralized two Pakistani terrorists, while an injured accomplice managed to evade capture.
