Millat Times Desk

12 November 2026 (Publish: 09:58 AM IST)

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The bodies of two Special Police Officers (SPOs) who went missing while on patrol in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district were recovered on Thursday, with both officers bearing multiple bullet injuries, according to reports.

The deceased have been identified as Rashpal Kumar, 40, and Babi Chand, 54. Their bodies were recovered by a search team near Dherna post in the remote Dachhan-Marwah area of the district.

Preliminary information suggests that the officers may have been attacked by suspected terrorists while they were travelling towards Dherna post to relieve two colleagues deployed there.

One officer had a bullet wound to the head, while the other had been shot in the back. Their service weapons, an INSAS rifle and a .303 rifle, were also missing, raising suspicions that the attackers took them after the shooting.

The two officers were reportedly on patrol alongside Army personnel and were heading towards the Dherna post when they went missing on Wednesday. They were expected to take over duties from two colleagues stationed at the post.

According to preliminary information, gunshots were heard in the area during the afternoon. The mobile phones of both officers were initially reachable but later became switched off, raising concerns about their whereabouts.

After the officers failed to return, police and security forces launched a joint search operation across the forested region. Search teams eventually located their bodies on Thursday morning.

The disappearance of the officers and the recovery of their bodies, along with the missing weapons, have raised suspicions of a possible militant attack. However, the circumstances surrounding the killings remain under investigation.

Security forces have intensified search operations in the area to identify and track down those responsible for the killings. The operation is also aimed at recovering the missing rifles.

The latest incident comes weeks after another Special Police Officer, 55-year-old Bashir Ahmed, was found dead near his residence in Wanipora Trigam village of Kishtwar district on October 16.

Ahmed, who was posted at Pedil Police Post, had gone missing while returning home from duty with his service-issued self-loading rifle and magazine.