Bullet-riddled bodies of two missing SPOs found in Kishtwar; weapons missing, say officials

Jammu: The bodies of two missing Special Police Officers (SPOs) were recovered from Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district, with bullet injuries found on them, officials said. The weapons carried by the personnel were also missing.

The deceased have been identified as Babi Chand, 57, and Rashpal Kumar, 45. Both were attached to the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the local police and posted at Kiyar village in the Dachhan area of Kishtwar.

The two officers went missing on Wednesday while travelling from their camp towards an Army post at Dharna-Marwah. Their mobile phones were initially reachable but were later switched off, prompting security agencies to launch an extensive search operation.

Security forces subsequently intensified the search across the forested upper reaches of Dachhan. Additional police and Army personnel were deployed, while specialised teams equipped with drones and sniffer dogs were brought in to cover difficult mountainous terrain.

The search was expanded around Kiyar village and along the route towards Dharna-Marwah. Teams combed dense forests, natural trails and remote locations in an effort to trace the missing personnel.

The recovery of the bodies with bullet injuries and the absence of their weapons are likely to be central to the investigation into the circumstances of their deaths. However, the available information does not establish who was responsible or whether militants were involved.

Officials had earlier cautioned against linking the disappearance to militant activity before the facts emerged. Further details about the recovery site and the circumstances surrounding the killings were not available in the report provided.

Why Kishtwar remains a security concern

Kishtwar has remained an important focus of counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir. Its remote villages, dense forests and mountainous terrain present operational challenges for security forces attempting to track militant movements.

Successive counter-insurgency operations have resulted in the deaths of several active terrorists in the district, weakening their presence. However, the difficult terrain continues to make surveillance and security operations challenging.

According to the figures cited in the original report, five people, including four terrorists and one Army soldier, were killed in terror-related incidents in 2026. In 2025, four people — three terrorists and one Army soldier — lost their lives. In 2024, the toll included three security personnel and two civilians.

The recovery of the two SPOs' bodies raises fresh security concerns in the region. The missing weapons also add an important dimension to the investigation, although their disappearance alone does not establish the motive or identity of those responsible.

Investigators will need to establish the sequence of events, determine how the two personnel were killed and trace the missing weapons.