Jammu and Kashmir Police have arrested a man who provided logistical support to the April 22 Pahalgam attack terrorists, sources told NDTV Wednesday evening.
Mohammad Kataria was arrested after a forensic analysis of weapons and equipment recovered during July’s Operation Mahadev, which saw security forces track down and neutralise two gunmen who slaughtered 26 people at Baisaran Valley, a popular tourist spot near Pahalgam.
Kataria will be produced in court and sent to judicial custody, sources said.
This is the first big moment for security forces since Op Mahadev, and underlines the government’s continued focus on tracking down all those responsible for the Pahalgam attack.
A faction of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba claimed responsibility.
Operation Mahadev unfolded over weeks starting May 22, when security forces received intel about terrorists hiding in Dachigam near Srinagar. After weeks of observation – during which time the military intercepted encrypted comms on China-origin devices – the assault began July 28.
The terrorists fired up the T82 comms device that allowed Indian forces to pinpoint their location.
At 8 am a drone was launched for visual confirmation of the terrorists. At 9.30 am the Rashtriya Rifles – the Army’s counter-insurgency force in J&K – and Special Forces commandos had boots on the ground and, within 30 minutes, a secondary visual confirmation was made.
READ | Tracked, Hunted In Less Than 3 Hours: Op Mahadev Timeline
At 11 am, shots were fired. At 11.45 am, one injured terrorist was killed trying to escape. By 12.45 pm, all three had been eliminated, and their bodies located and identified, including Suleiman Shah, alias Hashim Musa, the alleged mastermind of the Pahalgam attack.
READ | Pahalgam Mastermind Suleiman Shah Among 3 Killed In Op Mahadev
Shah was a former commando in the Pakistan Army’s elite Special Service Group. He later joined UN-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed’s LeT to carry out terror activities, source said.
J&K Police had announced a Rs 20 lakh reward on information about Suleiman Shah.
He first infiltrated India in September 2023. In October 2024 he led an attack that killed seven civilians. He was also involved in an attack in Baramulla that killed four security personnel.
NDTV also accessed a photo of the terrorist hideout.
Assault rifles, ammo, and equipment were recovered from the terrorists’ hideout.
The visuals showed multiple guns, including AK-47 and M9 assault rifles. These and other weapons and equipment were what helped J&K Police track down and apprehend Mohd Kataria.
The weapons had been sent to a lab in Chandigarh for processing that confirmed also the guns had been used in the Pahalgam attack. Union Home Minister Amit Shah told Parliament, “We generated empty bullet shells by firing these rifles and matched them to those found in Pahalgam.”
“It was confirmed that these rifles were used to murder innocent civilians.”
Pahalgam Attack, Op Sindoor
Terrorists killed 26 people in Pahalgam that fateful day, in a horrid attack, the deadliest in nearly two decades, that saw them asking questions about their victims’ religious faith before executing them.
The attack triggered a severe diplomatic crisis with Pakistan. The Indian government – which has repeatedly accused the Pak deep state of supporting cross-border terror attacks – retaliated first by suspending the critical Indus Waters Treaty that provides irrigation to over half of Pakistani farms.
NDTV Explains | Story Of Indus Waters Treaty, Partition, Planning, Pak Impact
A military assault followed soon after; Operation Sindoor was launched early May 7. Indian missile strikes targeted nine terror camps and training bases in Pak and Pak-occupied Kashmir. Told to stand down, Islamabad responded by launching drone and missile attacks that Indian forces intercepted.
READ | “Less Than 50 Weapons Fired By IAF To End Conflict”: Op Sindoor Exclusive
The hostilities dragged on for 100 hours before Pakistan, whose air defence network was dismantled, sought a ceasefire. In the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack and Op Sindoor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India now had a more forceful doctrine on responding to terror attacks on its soil.
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